Under the Guise of Innocence
by Deep and Devastating
Summary: Hermione moves to Forks,Washington after the War with her parents. She meets Jasper and once their secrets are revealed her past catches up with her. Herm./Jasper Pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**CH. 1**

**::**This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.**::**

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

(HPOV)

I arrived in Port Angeles, Washington after taking a red-eye from London, England to Chicago and then Seattle before I boarded a connecting flight to this small community. Looking around at the tiny uncrowded airport, I could tell that this small town would be exactly the escape from the magical world that I needed.

You see, it had been three months since the fall of the darkest wizard in history. It had been three long months spent in mourning for all of the lives lost. Three months of depression as the magical world struggled to recover from the bloodiest war in history. Even after I'd found my parents and restored their memories, my life hadn't seemed to gain any meaning. I had still been lost. My life had changed irrevocably that warm night in late June and I didn't know what to do or who I was anymore.

When Lord Voldemort had fallen, I had no longer been a teenager fighting an adults war. I had no longer been fighting for the right to live in a society dominated by pure-blooded aristocrats. I had no longer been bound by feelings of duty and commitment to protect my best friends. I had no longer been forced to live every minute of my life looking over my shoulder for those trying to kill me.

And I had no clue how to handle these changes…how to move on with my life. I had no idea how to live again. I had no inkling of who Hermione Granger was anymore. All of the things that used to define me no longer applied because after seven long years of excitement and danger, I'd been thrust back into a not-so-exciting world free of war.

With a saddened heart, I scanned the airport for my parents. They had been more than a little upset with me after I restored their memories. But given time, they had been able to understand my reasoning. They had even been thankful that I had cared enough to spare them that pain and worry. But instead of returning to England like I wanted, they had decided to move to another place they had always wanted to visit: America. Not days after I had found them, they had been making contacts in America to open another dental practice. A fresh start was what they called it.

And here I was, hoping it could be a fresh start for me as well. The magic... I just needed a break.. an escape from it for awhile. I just couldn't take living in London or being apart of the Order right now. The memories around headquarters were overwhelming, suffocating even. London was haunted by the ghosts of those who had died for the greater good. I was tired of seeing those ghosts day in and day out when my wounds were still so fresh.

I had thought my parents wouldn't want me back after the stunt I pulled when I sent them to Australia, but they were willing to help re-build our relationship. I was beyond thankful they were welcoming me back with open arms. With a new place to distract me, I was bound to begin healing.

My honey brown eyes finally caught sight of a woman with long dark brown hair standing next to a man with curly blonde hair and I felt a rush of excitement. It rose to an all time high and I began vibrating with happiness for the first time in months as I met eyes the exact same shade as my own.

I gave my parents a heartfelt smile. "Mum! Dad!" I exclaimed.

They grinned and crushed me into a three way hug. "Hey, love! If you're all set, let's go!"

I chuckled at their enthusiasm as we gathered my luggage and headed towards their new car. I gave a low whistle as we approached a black Mercedes SUV. "Nice car!" I complimented as I slid into the back seat.

My dad shot me a sly grin via the rear-view mirror. "You know how much I adore cars, sweetheart."

I nodded in understanding as he maneuvered the luxury vehicle through the meager traffic. The drive to Forks was extremely quick. I stared out of my window most of the drive, amazed by all the colors. I've never been anywhere this beautiful. London, well, it was always dingy, grey, and full of smog. Even the rolling moors of Scotland had nothing on the sheer greenness of this place.

Noticing my awe, Mum commented, "Crazy how much green there is here, huh?"

I nodded with wide eyes and she reassured me I would get used to it- maybe even learn to love it.

When we drove through Forks, everybody stopped to stare at us. It wasn't too surprising because small towns are notorious for gossip, but it still set me on edge to know that I would become the center of attention in the coming weeks.

Mum chattered away as we passed through town. Apparently she was extremely excited about introducing me to their co-workers and for me to finish what would be my last year of muggle education.

It would be pointless for me to try and claim the idea of going back to school didn't excite me. My love of knowledge was a widely known fact. And it would be a good distraction. But the cultural shock I was bound to experience – being not only magical, but British as well – had me a bit on edge.

We finally pulled into a driveway just outside of town. We drove along it through the forest for approximately a quarter mile before a large, two story white brick house situated in the midst of a meadow came into view. I stared at it in awe; it was a beautiful home. It was certainly much larger than our house in England, not to mention twice as elegant. Mum chuckled at my expression as Dad parked the car. I quickly got out of the SUV and grabbed my minimal amount of luggage.

Before I could walk into the house, my parents pulled me towards the garage with barely veiled anticipation. I followed skeptically. What met my eyes when I entered nearly caused me to faint.

Sitting next to my mum's BMW was a car with a humongous silver bow on it. But it wasn't just _any_ car. It was an Audi TTS Coupe. Literally the car of my dreams. A car I've been fantasizing about owning since I was sixteen. It was a beautiful, eye-catching electric blue.

While I stared at it in shock with drool dribbling down my chin, my parents approached me. They gushed about it being an early birthday present and how I was scheduled to take my driving test tomorrow so that my license could be switched over. It was a test I knew I would not fail. To miss a chance at driving this car would be a shame.

All I could do is nod at their enthusiastic chatter as I sat inside of it caressing the supple leather interior and shiny dashboard gadgets. The car was phenomenal, but I would never expect anything less than that from my father. He loved cars. Growing up, I spent countless Saturday afternoons attending various car shows with him throughout the United Kingdom. It was sort of our father/daughter bonding time.

After my parents dragged me from my car, walking into the house was a surreal experience. It was just so homey with its warm color scheme and open floor plan. It felt so right to be here. When I got to my room, it was thankfully fairly bare except for the matching wrought iron bedroom suite. I got to work decorating it with magic.

The first thing I did was place silencing charms around my room so that my parents wouldn't be woken up if I had a nightmare which happens nearly every night. Then I turned the walls a pale silver color that glittered even without the light hitting it. On top of the silver I made medium sized diagonal black stripes across the wall to give my room an edgy feel. I changed the color of my bedding to a deep purple while I transfigured the fabric into the finest silks. The curtains in my bay window soon matched my bedding. In the far corner of my room I made a relaxing area of pillows of every shape, size, and color. It would be a place where I would be able to settle down with a good book and cup of hot cocoa on a rainy afternoon.

With the basics out of the way, I opened my luggage and sent all of my clothes to their proper places with the use of a quick unpacking spell. Then I pulled my school trunk out of my pocket and enlarged it. I sent both my muggle and magical books whizzing to their proper spots on a bookcase.

At the bottom of my trunk, carefully wrapped, were all of my pictures. I took them out and gazed at them longingly. Most of them were from the better days at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron. They were before the fate of the entire magical world had rested on our shoulders; days when we could be happy and carefree. Some were of all three of us, others were with various members of Dumbledore's Army or the Weasley family. Some were a gift from Colin Creevey's parents. They had made copies of every picture he'd ever taken while at school for each member of the Golden Trio to keep his memory alive.

As if it was going anywhere. His death haunted us.

There was one picture that Harry had given to me right before I'd left. It was probably my favorite. It was a perfect shot of me punching Draco Malfoy during our third year; one of the best memories of my life.

By the time I was done putting them up, my room looked magnificent.

It looked like home.


	2. Chapter 2

**CH. 2**

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

_**Warning: This Chapter contains fairly graphic descriptions of torture. Please skip to the next page break if such descriptions offend you in any way.**_

* * *

_It was pure pandemonium. Teachers, Order members, Aurors, and students were rushing through the corridors in varying states of panic. The Death Eaters were in the castle. I could already tell the odds really weren't in our favor even with all of the extra protection Dumbledore instated. They caught us by surprise. We thought we were safe here under the magical enchantments that protected the school. It was supposed to be impossible for them to get onto the grounds. They obviously found a way._

_In battle situations, the Order was divided up into pairs of 'battle buddies'. A dueling partner whose skills matched your own so that the fight would be evenly divided between the two. Someone to help watch your back. I had to find mine. _

_Easier said than done in all of this confusion. _

_After running through the corridors flinging curses at Death Eaters in passing, I finally found Hestia engaged in a fierce duel with Macnair and Avery in the entrance hall. I approached her, dodging all of the stray hexes just as she killed Macnair with a well aimed cutting curse to the throat. His blood splattered across the stone floor and two more Death Eaters attempted to over-power her when they saw this. _

_I really wanted to know where all of these ass holes were coming from. Every time we killed one, two more appeared. _

_She didn't even acknowledge me as I joined the fight and I didn't expect her to because we'd been trained better. This wasn't some school-yard brawl. This was a duel to the death. A lapse in concentration would probably get you killed or seriously injured. _

_This three on two duel wasn't any more difficult than if we were fighting one on one. Ever since __Hestia and I had been paired together over the summer, we'd become an unstoppable team. We were both fierce fighters. _The only difference this time is that we were desperately trying to keep them away from the younger students. I don't even want to think about what they would do if they got to them. It would be tragic.

_Just as I disarmed Rookwood, I was attacked from behind and drug down the corridor through the dungeons into what looked like an empty classroom. I could hear Hestia's frantic shouting of my name. I wish she wouldn't call for me. She could get killed if she's too distracted. It wouldn't do any good for the both of us to die. _

_I couldn't see my attacker. But I could feel the hard body pressed against me with strong muscular arms holding me against it. It was definitely male. _

_I was roughly thrown to the ground and kicked in the ribs a few times for good measure. When the blows stopped I looked up at the coward who dare attack someone from behind._

_My attacker?_

_None other than Antonin Dolohov. The Death Eater who escaped from prison at the beginning of fifth year with Bellatrix LeStrange and twenty other high security prisoners. The same Death Eater who nearly killed me with a dark curse at the end of fifth year during the battle in the Department of Mysteries. The same sadistic asshole who promised I would die at his hand during this war before he fled the Ministry._

_And then his cruel face full of rotten teeth and manic eyes are my only focus as he leans so that our noses are only millimeters apart._

_ "Miss me, Mudblood?" _

_The smell of his putrid breath makes me want to hurl._

_He's towering over me, blocking out the rest of the room. His wand is trained on my beaten body. The indescribable panic I feel when I realize I'm unarmed is suffocating. I'm at the mercy of a demented man who has made it his sole mission in life to kill me._

_But the panic is short lived because he begins to cast the Crucio on me. The pain is instantaneous and unbearable. I can't help but scream and thrash about even though I desperately want to keep from showing any weakness._

_It stops and his harsh voice screams for me to tell him information about The Order of the Phoenix._

_ As if I would tell him anything. _

_My refusal to talk earns me another dose of the Cruciatus curse. Over and over again it's repeated. He asks questions. I refuse to answer. He tortures me. _

_My vision's beginning to blur and I can barely feel the pain anymore. I've lost all hope. I don't expect someone to rescue me. If someone was going to save me, they would have done so earlier when my screams were so loud. Their just hoarse, barely audible cries now._

_His eyes glint and he roughly yanks me up by my arms. Before I can process what's happening he has my arms hog-tied over my head with my body suspended in the air. I can feel my shoulders threatening to dislocate due to the weight of my body. He rips off my shirt and takes a moment to inspect the scar he left that runs from my left shoulder to my right hip with pride._

"_I'm going to enjoy making you beg for death Mudblood." He chuckles._

_And then the first blow strikes me. I just thought I was numb to the pain. I wasn't. This is an entirely different sort of pain. I can feel the blood running down my back from the deep wound he just inflicted. Its torturous. He hits me with whatever is in his hand over and over. He's yelling at me to give up… to beg for death. _

_Just as I'm about to give in and plead for him to kill me the door flies open. A red jet of light engulfs his surprised form and he falls to the ground before I can blink. I stare at the Death Eater in shock. Why stop him? Why save me when I was about to give in…when I was about to beg for death?_

_The unknown figure waves their wand in front of their face and the silver mask disappears. I gazed into the concerned Cerulean blue eyes of Blaise Zabini and croaked "Please." before I lost consciousness._

* * *

I jolted upright in my bed, sweat pouring down my body.

Another nightmare. I looked over at the clock. 5:12 a.m. Lovely. Top o' the morning to me!

Note the sarcasm.

I fell back against the bed, my limbs feeling like lead weights. I don't even know why I'm surprised to be awake. I have them every night. Ever since the end of the war I've had them. It's like my brain has finally processed everything that's happened since Voldemort's return at the end of fourth year. And now it's punishing me for it with nightmares about the worse parts of my life to date.

I hate the nightmares. They force the emotions I try to ignore during the day out; The intense guilt, hate, pain, hopelessness, sadness. They all come flying at me and send me on an emotional roller-coaster nightly.

The horrid dreams are one of the reasons I decided to move here. I yearn for a peaceful nights sleep. I thought getting away from all the bad memories I have in Europe -all of the daily reminders of my past- would help stop the dreams. Apparently I was wrong. They still haunt me just as much in America if tonight is any indication of what's to come.

There is no way I'd be able to fall back asleep after that so I got out of bed and took a long, relaxing bubble bath. By the time I got out of the tub my fingers and toes looked like shriveled prunes. The sight made me giggle a bit.

Since my appointment to take my driving test wasn't until 7:00 I took my time getting ready. It felt good to be able to pamper myself like this without having Ron or Harry criticize me for being such a girl.

Boys are so dense some times. I think they forget that I am in fact a girl.

Taking stock of my wardrobe, I realized I really needed to go shopping for more clothes. I really didn't have much besides jeans, boots, trainers, a few vest tops, and pullovers because fashion wasn't exactly important in the middle of a war. That would be my first trip as a licensed driver in a new country. Clothes shopping.

For the moment though, I settled on wearing a pair of old jeans, trainers, and a pullover. It wasn't a stylish or flattering outfit, but it would do.

By the time I made it downstairs my parents were both sitting in the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee. I made myself a cup and joined them for a light breakfast before my dad drove me to the Department of Public Safety office for my test.

I practiced parallel parking in the roped off area a few times before we went inside since Dad informed me I wouldn't get my license without doing it perfectly. I had to drive on the wrong side of the road and the officer riding with me thought it rather funny when I pointed it out. All things considering the test went smoothly. I aced the test. I was now licensed to drive in the United States.

We stopped by the house to pick up my mother and then headed to their dental practice in Port Angeles. After what felt like hours of small talk with their partners I was finally free to do some shopping.

I parked along the main strip in town and started heading to all of the different boutiques there because I saw some of the cutest outfits on the mannequins when we passed through town this morning.

My inner shop-a-holic was let out as soon as I stepped across the threshold in the first store. I wasn't sure I would be able to reign her in either. For the first time since I hit puberty I could actually dress like a girl. I would actually have the time to put in the effort to look feminine and that prospect excited me far more than I ever realized it would.

I purchased nearly every pair of jeans I tried on; Boot-cut Jeans, Skinny Jeans, Distressed Jeans. I brought them all. However, I was a little more specific when it came to my tops.

I didn't want to inadvertently reveal any of my scars from the war to the general public. It would bring up to many questions that I wouldn't be able to answer. Hell, my parents might even get accused of abuse. So I stuck to long-sleeve shirts which wouldn't be questioned here due to the cold weather. I did pick up a few lacy undershirts as well as a few tank tops to wear at home though.

The last two stores I hit were the lingerie store and shoe store. I went even crazier in those two. I brought lace and silk undergarments in every color to replace my old ones and at the shoe store I purchased a pair of shoes to match every out-fit.

My mum was going to have a conniption fit later when she finds out how much I spent but it was worth it. This was the best shopping trip of my life and looking at all of my new clothes made me excited for school on Monday.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

**A/N:** This chapter isn't very long, but I feel its necessary. It's mainly here to give Jasper's character a little depth. Its a glimpse of his life before Forks and how he ended up there.

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

Hope. It's a foreign emotion to me. It's something I've only felt a handful of times throughout my existance.

I certainly never felt it while living in a constant state of rage, fear, and bloodlust. Saying the existence I led after my change wasn't ideal would be a gross understatement. It was a downright deplorable way to live. I lived to fight. I lived to kill. I lived for blood. I was the monster that inspired horror stories.

I didn't just feed from humans; I spent a century fighting for the right to feed from them.

I spent a century in the Armies of the South murdering, pillaging, desecrating, and performing unspeakable acts. I exuded an air of power and influence as I created, fought, and destroyed thousands upon thousands of other vampires. I attained a reputation for those actions. I was referred to as The Major or The God of War* amongst my kind. Other vampires respected me…they bowed before me to show their submission; Even if it was only because they feared for their life when in my presence.

My only act of mercy in that life was to turn a blind eye when my second in command -Peter- escaped this abhorrent lifestyle with his newborn mate Charlotte. I was meant to destroy her, but I couldn't. I could feel the intense love they held for one another. I couldn't bring myself to taint something so pure. So I let them run.

I myself never thought to escape. I knew of no other lifestyle; This was the only life I was born to. It was the life I was trained to live. It was what I was familiar with.

I never imagined I would see them again. Nobody in their right mind would come back to the South after escaping. The risk of being captured and punished was too great. But Peter and Charlotte did. They were there waiting on me one day in late Winter in a back alley of Mexico City as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

They told me of a better life; Of a calm and serene existence where you could live without having to fight for food. I didn't believe them since I've never experienced such a thing.

But for the first time ever I felt hope and a bit of love. Those were two emotions I had never felt directed towards me before. They were so tangible…so genuine….so inherently different from the fear and hate I'd grown accustomed to.

I allowed myself to feel them. I allowed the hope to fill me. I allowed the love to wash over my being and sooth my damaged soul. I ran with them. I escaped the place I formally refer to as Hell on Earth without a second thought.

The three of us traveled around the country as nomads. We were brought together under the worst of circumstances and that made us family. Our bond was one that would never be broken. I firmly believe that if it didn't break while we were in Maria's army, nothing else would be capable of breaking it. I never imagined leaving them for another life even though feeding from humans was emotionally draining on me. It repulsed me to feel the fear of my prey as I fed. But I dealt with it.

But another life came to me when I least expected it, just as this one had.

We were traveling through Philadelphia and I needed to hunt. While searching for a suitable human to feed from I crossed the scent of another vampire. I followed it to a small diner where a small pixie was awaiting my arrival.

She already knew my name. And she knew of my gift. Apparently she was a fortune teller and had been waiting on me in this diner for some time. She was here to take me away from this life where I'm a constant emotional wreck to a better one. She had a vision of us traveling to upstate New York to join a coven that only fed from animals.

I could feel the truth of her statements. I could feel her affection and excitement as she assured me this was my destiny. I once again felt hope.

Peter and Charlotte didn't want me to leave despite my reassurance that I would visit often and keep in contact. I don't know why, I couldn't explain it, but I felt compelled to at least investigate this other life-style.

This coven was everything Alice promised it would be. They fed from animals. They lived as a family. They were good people.

The years began melting away, bleeding into one another as they are prone to do when you never sleep. I slipped quite a few times in the beginning, but it was never held against me. They understood that suddenly switching to feeding from animals after a century of violently feeding from humans was difficult.

Those slips were always my incentive to do better.

And that's how I've gotten to this point in my life. Nearly fifty years later I'm still with this same coven. While this life-style isn't easy, I love it. I love that I can almost completely satiate my thirst without having to feel an ounce of fear. I love that I am surrounded by six other vampires who love and support me.

I love that I am no longer a monster who kills anything with a pulse.

And once again I feel hope. This time its directed towards me from Edward and Alice as they have a silent conversation with one another. I know its about me because their eyes would occasionally dart in my direction.

It frightens me a little. Every time I've felt hope, my life undergoes a drastic change. I'm happy with my life right now. It doesn't need to change.

The dynamic duo that is Edward and Alice finished arguing about God only knows what and called a family meeting. So like a good little boy I made my way to the dining room where I sat at an oak table we have never ate off of.

Once the entire family arrived, Alice began explaining. Apparently she's been having these fuzzy, life altering visions for a few weeks. Life altering visions that involve me.

In these visions I'm enraptured with a human girl we meet at the high school in Forks, Washington. But she isn't just any human girl; She's a human girl who is meant to be my mate. The woman I've been searching for. The other half of my soul.

This has to be a joke. She's a human. I'm a vampire with tenuous control over my bloodlust. How in the hell is this supposed to work?

It's no big secret that my control isn't near as good as the rest of the families. I'm new to this diet and I've slipped quite a few times. And that concerns me.

What if her blood smells irresistible? I don't want to hurt her, but what if it just smells _too_ good?

I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not the slightest bit masochistic. I don't enjoy the burn in my throat. I don't enjoy being around blood that tests my control. Experiencing the bloodlust of every family member on top of my own is painful. I constantly fight the urge to indulge in that crimson liquid.

Bloodlust makes me weak. I detest being weak.

The family, especially Carlisle and Esme, were excited to hear that I would be finding my mate soon. Emmett found it incredibly funny and ironic that she would still be a human. I hated to burst their bubble but I had to voice my concerns.

Said concerns were of course dismissed and the family voted to move to Forks, Washington as soon as possible. I'm not one hundred percent certain whether this decision is the right one.

* * *

* The title God of War when referring to Jasper's time in the South was first coined by IdreamofEddy in her fic. Colliding Meteors. The credit is all hers.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic so far. I know it's a bit slow to start, but things will be picking up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thank you all for waiting patiently for this next update. I spent a few days in Vegas with the girls and forgot my laptop =( Anyways. I'm back, completely recovered from my hangover, and ready to get this story going!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

(JPOV)

It was obvious she wasn't already living here when we arrived. Alice said I would be instantly drawn to her due to our connection as soul mates. In her visions I find this girl irresistible. I wasn't immediately drawn to any of the female humans in this town and I sure as hell didn't find any of them irresistible. Quite the opposite actually. So its logical to believe that she would move here sometime during the four or five years we would be living here.

In my opinion waiting on her to arrive is worse than if she had already been here.

Now I'm psyching myself out. I've spent the past year since our arrival in constant turmoil. I even convinced myself that I would move to Denali for her safety several times. However, Edward heard my plans each time and stopped my frantic packing. He tried to assure me that everything would be ok, and that the entire family was here for support. It didn't make me feel any better.

So we devised a plan.

The plan was for us to meet her first. Assess her. Then if I can handle the smell of her blood, we'll get to know her.

Rosalie still wasn't too happy about the human. She didn't want this life so she wouldn't wish it on another. Yet, she also wanted me to have the same happiness that the rest of the family shares. We've talked about it constantly for the past year and she reluctantly agreed to play nice. A small feat in itself because Rosalie can be quite the bitch.

On Monday morning at the end of August, I once again dressed for what would surely be another boring day at school where I would be surrounded by hormonal teenagers. Alice was literally bouncing she was so excited about going today. For some strange reason, she forced us to be a little later than usual. But we all went along with her; The fortune teller pixie does tend to know best.

All of our eyes were immediately drawn to the electric blue Audi TTS Coupe when we pulled into the parking lot. It was a beautiful car, by far the nicest in the school other than our own. And it had to belong to a new student.

We pulled to a stop about three spaces over and the emotions rolling out of the car were quite staggering. The driver was frustrated, afraid, and nervous. Quite typical for a first day of school. But those were only the surface emotions. Underneath there was a deep sadness, depression, a sense of loss, and a sensation of being hopeless .

I frowned, those emotions were so familiar. Yet I can't place where I've felt them before. I just know that no one should ever feel like that. It isn't healthy.

I smiled when I heard the driver chastise herself in the most beautiful British accent. "It's just high school. All I have to do is get out and walk in there. Then they'll stop staring and I can get on with my bloody life."

I got out of the car and stood around with my siblings to await our first good look at this new British student. We couldn't help but be curious, it truly was an oddity for her to be here. And it was even stranger for her to have arrived without us knowing about it beforehand via Alice. But she didn't get out despite her pep-talk. She groaned softly.

"But god! Its high school. It's full of barmy immature teenagers with nothing better to do than gossip. I'll be the shiny new toy that everybody wants to touch and talk to. I don't want that. I don't want them talking to me and I sure as hell don't want them trying to touch me."

I exchanged a bemused expression with my siblings. At least she's different from all of the other hormone and gossip driven students in this school. And she's an entertaining realist. She was dead on. High school was nothing but a social scene. And she would be the shiny new toy everybody wanted a turn to play with.

A couple of soft thuds immediately followed her declaration and I quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." She lamented. "I've started talking to myself. I'll never live this down if anyone finds out."

That last statement evoked a slight bit of irritation within her. Emmett found her incredibly entertaining. He was leaned against the car with his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Alice's anticipation rose as she nudged me.

I looked up. Stepping out of the car was the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. She was roughly five foot four and was wearing a hot pink top and tight skinny jeans. I forgot to breath as I took in her thick, curly hair the color of molasses and honey brown eyes. She was exceedingly thin almost to the point of malnourishment, like she hadn't ate properly in at least a year. But despite this, she was still breathtaking. I had yet to breath, but when I did her scent washed over me lovingly. It caressed and soothed my frayed nerves in a way no other has before. She smelled exquisite., but not in an 'I want to suck you dry' sort of way. It was more of an 'I want to bite you and make you mine' sort of way. Edward shot me a raised eyebrow, no doubt already getting annoyed with my mental worship of this human

He could deal with it because between the two of our gifts, I definitely got the shit end of the stick. He only had to hear peoples thoughts, I had to feel their every freaking emotion. Not pleasant when you are the only unmated vampire in a coven of nymphomaniacs.

Much to my disappointment, she never even acknowledged us as she headed towards the entrance. Though to be fair she seemed to be in a hurry. She was feeling very intimidated also slightly panicked. I even noticed her eyes rapidly scanning the parking lot as if she were cataloguing her surroundings. Strange.

My morning passed in a daze. I was the first person to leave class and the first person to enter. I honestly cannot tell you a thing that happened because if she wasn't in one of my classes, then I zoned out and thought about her. I thought of what I could possibly say to her when we meet or I plotted ways to meet her.

I was feeling kind of down by the time I zoomed into my U.S. History class. I haven't had one class with the mysterious new human yet and I so desperately wanted to meet her. I listened to the gossip while I waited and apparently nobody was able to get her to talk to them. All she would do is smile and nod. The masses were frustrated. They wanted the scoop on the new girl and she wasn't giving it.

Then that wondrous exotic scent of honey and orange blossoms reached my nose. I looked up to see her getting our horribly inept teacher to sign her slip. And what's more, I did a quick glance around the room, the only open seat was right next to me. I've never been more thankful that humans instinctually fear us.

The nerves and fear rolling off of her brought me out of my one person celebration. Her haunted eyes were darting around the room, from face to face then to the windows and doors. It looked like she was instinctually making a note of all possible threats and exits. Deep down she was wary to the point of being paranoid.

Her emotions were starting to get to me. I needed to know what happened to make her feel this way. Why she was scared of crowds, why her smile lacked warmth, why her beautiful eyes looked so tormented. I had to know. I had to fix it. I had to protect her so she would stop feeling like this.

"Umm… My name is Hermione Granger. I'm from England and I attended a private boarding school in Scotland for seven years before I moved here."

She spit it out so fast, I'm not sure she even stopped to breathe. Half of my brain was rejoicing in the fact that I learned her name and something about her. The other half was still worrying about her emotions. She literally ran to the open seat next to me. Her breathing was ragged and I could feel her mounting panic.

Her forehead rested against the desk with a light 'thunk' and I could sense her trying to calm herself down. Whatever was wrong, she was fighting it. So I sent a few calming vibes to her in hopes that it would help.

I'm not sure if they did, but I think they might have because her breathing evened out. Still her head rested against the faux wood desk with her beautiful ringlets splaying around her. I was mesmerized by how the light refracted off of each individual strand. It was unique. It was beautiful.

God this woman is turning me into a hopelessly romantic sap. I'll never live it down if Peter finds out about this.

Then her emotions shifted. They went from panic to a depressing sort of self hate. Emotions I never wanted to feel coming from her again. I decided to intervene and stop this incredulous self destructive emotional path she was on.

"Hey there, I'm Jasper Hale. Its nice to meet you Hermione."

She slowly sat up and angled her body towards me. Her eyes met mine and we gazed at each other for what felt like eternity. Those beautiful orbs were so novel. I have never seen a pair more distinctive in my existence.. They were honey around the pupil and gradually deepened to a dark chocolate at the edges. They had yet to move from mine, but I could feel her mounting attraction.

Out of my superb peripheral vision I took closer stock of her facial features. She had a small pert nose covered in a smattering of freckles. Her lips were plump and contrasted perfectly with her high cheekbones and defined jaw. The pale white scars marring her perfect skin are what caught my attention though.

Every scar has a story be it pleasant or horrific. Mine told the tale of my existence, who I was, who I am. I want to know the stories behind hers. One ran diagonally from her left temple to her chin and the other was the shape of a crescent moon just under her right eye. They gave her a bit of character. I liked that she wasn't the epitome of perfection.

Her lips twitched and I felt a bit of curiosity from her. "Likewise….Your accent… it's different. Where are you from?"

My jaw dropped a little. She picked up on that in one sentence? My accent is barely noticeable to humans. How?

I gave her a small smile to match the one I was getting., For some reason it warmed me to know she perceived something about me that others don't. That she noticed me. "Texas."

Her curiosity hit me again which served to bring mine out. "Really? When did you move here?"

"My family moved here from Alaska two years ago. I haven't actually been to Texas since I was adopted. What brought you to Washington?"

She shrugged and stopped looking at me. An overwhelming feeling of emptiness was radiating from her. I sort of felt like an ass for asking, but I wanted to know why she moved here. I sent a few emotional mixes at her which would make her want to answer me. She then looked as if she were weighing her words carefully before she spoke them.

"My parents are dentists. Some of their colleagues moved to Seattle and I was finished with my Boarding School so they decided to follow. I was going to stay in London with my friends…. But I just needed a change of scenery."

I did a happy dance on the inside despite the melancholy tone of her voice. Then she began feeling annoyed.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "So you wanted to get away from the city?"

She sighed reluctantly so I sent her that emotional mix again so she would feel compelled to answer.

"No I love London. The hustle and bustle is exciting. I had to get away from all the expectations… all the memories."

The last part she whispered and I would have never heard her if I wasn't a vampire. It was kind of irritating. I wanted to know what would make her leave her friends and a place she obviously loves. I wanted to know her secrets.

Her emotions after the last statement told me that the conversation was over whether I liked it or not. So I shut up and pretended to pay attention to the teacher give a boring lecture.

I continued to examine her appearance and mannerisms out of the corner of my eye. She was right handed and while she was taking precise notes on the lecture, she kept her left hand busy by fiddling with the sleeve of her hot pink top. Every once and a while I would get a glimpse of what looked like a scar on the back of her hand, but her shirt never moved enough for me to examine it thoroughly. And those small hands. Man they were delicate…beautiful. She also chewed on her pouty bottom lip when thinking which my inner demons loved a bit too much.

By the time the bell rang for lunch, I had her memorized. She rushed out of the room and I didn't bother to pass her. I kept a distance behind her and watched her glide towards the lunchroom in a stupor of annoyance.

I brought the usual disgusting human food to use as a prop and headed towards my families table. Hermione, I noticed, was sitting alone as far away from the other students as possible. If anyone tried to approach her she would give them a killer death glare. I almost went to sit with her or invited her to sit with my family, but my gut instinct told me it wouldn't be a good idea. That it was too soon.

I slid into an open seat next to Rosalie where I could study her without having to turn around. She followed my gaze. "So… is it her?"

I grinned. "Yeah, it's her. She's my mate. She sat beside me in History. She's so beautiful up close and wow… Just amazing."

Rosalie felt an immense amount of satisfaction and happiness. Her face was radiant as she looked over at Hermione. My eyes followed hers and I frowned. "What's wrong?"

I looked at Edward. "It's just… she's so tiny. I bet she doesn't weight ninety pounds soaking wet. She hasn't even eaten half of her sandwich and she's feeling sick to her stomach and throwing it away… I'm not an expert on humans or anything, but I know they should eat more than that."

"Maybe she has an eating disorder. "

I glanced at Rosalie to gauge her expression. She was serious. But it didn't feel right. "No, I don't think so. It's something else entirely. You haven't felt her emotions today."

She lifted her eyebrow in an expectant way that I've learned is an order to explain myself.

"It's just… during class she had to introduce herself and she nearly had a panic attack from it. Then she sank into a sort of depression. She felt empty. So I started talking to her to distract her and she said she moved here from London to get away from the memories. And her emotions were just so… sad. I can't really explain it. My instincts are telling me that she's been through something traumatic."

Everyone nodded their understanding, and Rosalie was actually genuinely sympathetic towards her due to her own traumatic past. They agreed it was safe for me to continue pursuing a relationship…especially since her blood didn't affect me.

But Edward had mixed feelings. He informed us he couldn't read her mind,. That whenever he tries he encounters a solid wall and it gives him a headache to try and break through. We also found out she was extremely fuzzy in Alice's visions. She could see her future clearly entwined with mine, but she wasn't receiving any normal day to day visions about her. They were on edge and I completely understand. Being vulnerable to anyone, even a human, is disconcerting.

After lunch, I had gym where I spent entirely too much time downplaying my athletic abilities. And then, I walked into Art to find the subject of my thoughts sitting in the seat next to mine. We exchanged greetings, but that was it. She concentrated on the lesson about light and shading the entire class, refusing to look at me.

That stung a bit.

Sitting next to her, soaking up the emotions pouring from her body led me to one conclusion. Something bad happened in England. I wanted, no needed, to understand what happened to her. It was now my personal goal to peel away her layers and find out what was wrong. I needed to take her sadness away and replace it with a genuine smile. I needed to fix her. And then I would make her mine for eternity.

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Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic so far. I know it's a bit slow to start, but things will be picking up soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews I received for the last chapter! They really encourage me to write on the later chapters of the story. So I've recently decided that I'm going to update this story twice a week, probably on Sunday and Thursday.

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

_The darkness was pressing in on me from all sides. It was suffocating. I could hear the steady thumping beat of my heart echoing in my ears. The only solace offered to me as we silently moved through this dark, creepy house was that I wasn't alone. I looked to my left to reassure myself that my companion was in fact still beside me._

We slipped through the empty corridors towards a set of large ornate doors without making a sound. Our intelligence group assured us that our target would be inside the room sleeping peacefully. I pushed the doors open silently hoping beyond hope that they were right. I really didn't want to deal with the repercussions a duel might cause.

They were. As always.

My partner conjured a blindfold and restraints for the sleeping figure. We had to take the necessary precautions to ensure his cover wouldn't be blown. The man awoke with a harsh cry that was soon muffled by the Italian's large hands forcefully holding his mouth open. That was my cue. I poured the Veritaserum into the mans open mouth.

"Is your name Audrey Gualterio?" I questioned him.

"Yes." He replied.

"Do you live in Somerset?"

" No." Good. The truth serum had taken affect.

"Do you oversee a secret training facility for the Dark Lord?" I asked a little harsher.

"Yes."

"Where exactly is this facility located?"

"In Wiltshire, fifteen kilometers South of the location of Malfoy Manor."

"How many Death Eaters are in this facility?"

"Fifty."

"Perfect." I whispered as I silently slit his throat with a cutting curse.

Blaise vanished the blindfold and restraints as we left the room. We stood outside the house looking up at it for a few minutes. "Keep your chin-up Cara. The end is near." He whispered before setting the house ablaze to douse suspicion. He then wrapped his arms around me and apparated us away.

* * *

I shot awake to a dingy and grey Wednesday morning. It seemed to be matching the dark tone of my dream. The sunrise was nowhere to be found in the early morning sky. I felt slightly depressed by the weather. I've lived my entire life in less than stellar conditions, so it shouldn't bother me. But it would have been nice to wake up with the sun shining instead of such ominous grey skies.

I would at least feel better about myself and the many un-godly sins I've committed to ensure Peace in our world.

Never the less, I crawled out of my cozy bed to get ready for school. A relaxing shower put me in a much better mood. By the time I used my wand to dry my hair into soft ringlets I was humming to a Weird Sisters song.

I decided to dress to impress again. I mean I might as well take advantage of the chance to look good since I didn't exactly get the opportunity to these past few years.

I put on a pair of distressed boot-cut jeans that hugged every curve, a purple long sleeve shirt with a black silk camisole underneath and shiny black ballet flats. My only jewelry was the intricate charm bracelet Harry brought me as a present after the end of the war. The white gold chain was goblin made and it wound in an intricate design of ancient protection runes. Currently I had ten charms hanging from it; the entwined initials of eight of my friends who died in the past three years along with the ancient runes for friendship and remembrance. Before I left my room for breakfast I made sure my invisible wand holster was strapped to my ankle. The way it gently pressed against my leg was comforting.

Breakfast was a fairly quiet affair with my parents. The only thing to break the silence were my mothers pleas for me to try and eat more. They have been agonizing about how malnourished my body is since the end of the war. The healers have assured me that it is just going to take time and that I'll slowly put the weight I lost back on as my stress levels decrease. But the parental units are still worried. While I'm with them I try to eat more, really I do, but its hard. My appetite is nearly non-existent now. I can't just shovel a mountain of food in my stomach and call it a job well done. I wish they understood that better.

I left before they did so that I would be sure to get to school on time. My Audi drove like a dream on the winding country road. I listened to a local rock station on the way to school and just enjoyed the freedom I felt in my car. The first honest to god freedom I've felt since my first train ride to Hogwarts when I was eleven.

The school was directly on the main highway. It wasn't anything impressive like Hogwarts Castle was. It's just a cluster of nondescript red bricked buildings with a raggedy sign declaring it Forks High School out front. I pulled into the student parking lot and I groaned in frustration. My electric blue Audi really stands out when the nicest car in the lot is a damn Volvo and a humongous Jeep. I'd gripe at my parents for buying me such an eye catching car if I didn't love it so much..

I pulled into the same parking spot at the back of the lot as yesterday. The entirety of Forks High was once again staring, just waiting on me to get out. To ogle me some more. I sat there waiting for people to stop staring or something.

They didn't.

I decided to just sit in my car and listen to the radio while I waited for the first bell to ring. Of course, the crowds parted as everyone stopped to gawk at the new kid again. It still made me extremely uncomfortable, nervous even, to have that many unknown people staring at me. It took every bit of my self control not to whip out my wand and hex the lot of them.

If I still had that time-turner I would go back in time right now and curse Mad-Eye every time he even thought about barking 'Constant Vigilance'. He is the one responsible for these… feelings. He's the reason I can't stand everyone staring at me and trying to touch me. He just had to go off and drill paranoia into us at such a young age.

My classes once again passed in a blur of somewhat pointless information. My excitement about learning something new was immediately squashed the first day when we started covering things I learned awhile back. It was clear that I would not be learning anything new or remotely interesting this year.

My first class was Chemistry and it was like a more intense version of Potions -minus the gross ingredients- so I found it quite enjoyable. The rest of my morning classes were impossibly dull though if I compared them to my courses at Hogwarts.

On top of the slightly boring and easy curriculum I had the gossip mongers of the school annoying me. They'd completely forgo the formality of introducing themselves and start the conversation with obvious things like. "Soo…You're from England."

Apparently they thought that was an invitation for me to give them my life story.

In return I'd give them an exasperated look that could only be translated as "Honestly. However did you figure that out captain obvious?" before I ignored them. Call me a bitch all you want, but if they weren't going to say something interesting, intelligent, or original I didn't want to effing talk to them.

So, all annoying gossiping idiots aside, I was in a fairly decent mood during my walk towards U.S. History. Yeah that's right. U.S. History… At least I would be learning something new; however little good it would do me in the future.

I considered the emotional aftermath of the war as I sat through a boring lecture on the details of the French and Indian Wars. It has to be the cause of my discomfort around other people. Around new people. When the war was over, I expected to feel so much...joy, relief, hope and comfort. Instead, I just feel oddly empty. Lost. We lost so much; not just the many precious lives cut short on the battle field, but any chance at a happy, carefree childhood. We left childhood behind some time ago. Our real loss was a loss of innocence.

And that's the real crux of the problem.

I don't know how to be young again, how to relate to others my age and it's a scary thought. How do you relate to people whose biggest worry is whether or not they are having a bad hair day when you've killed classmates you've known since you were eleven? When you've been tortured within an inch of death? When you've watched the life fade from the eyes of friends? When you've seen families ripped apart? When you've looked into the eyes of the most sadistic man on this planet? When you relive the worst moments of your life every night in horrifying nightmares?

How?

A soft, drawling voice brought me out of my panic induced analysis of my war torn life. "Penny for your thoughts."

I sat up and turned my head towards the only person whom has bothered to actually start a conversation by introducing himself. He was a gorgeous Texan. And gorgeous was a gross understatement when describing him. He was just over six foot tall and unbelievably muscular beneath his clothes, he had slightly long curly dirty blonde hair that gave him a perfect 'I just had sex' look, pale skin, chiseled facial features, and exotic golden eyes that seemed to smolder when he looked at me.

I felt my lips move into an almost smile. At least he refrains from immediately pointing out the obvious when he talks to me. That makes him somewhat adequate at starting a conversation.

"You'd want a refund if I told you."

He chuckled. "I doubt that Hermione. Anything that goes on in that pretty head of yours has to be interesting."

I blushed like a schoolgirl. The sexiest man I've ever met was flirting with me! And he called me pretty! Cue my hidden inner Lavender who wants to jump up and down squealing at this.

A crooked grin crossed his chiseled face momentarily. "I know we don't know each other that well seeing as you just moved here, but I just wanted to let you know that you can come to me if you ever have any questions about school or Forks…or anything really."

I nodded my head, completely dazzled by the intensity in his eyes. "Thanks. I hope I don't have any trouble, but If I do I'll be sure to seek you out."

His grin widened and my blush returned with full force. That definitely wasn't what I was planning on answering.. I honestly have no idea why I just said that. I wanted to take it back. I didn't want some stranger to help me. I didn't want to give him a chance to get to know me. Trust no one. That's a lesson I learned during the war.

By that time the bell rang and I bolted for the door. I had to get some solitude to collect myself. I shouldn't be talking to strangers named Jasper. Even if said stranger is sex on legs. I couldn't risk revealing any information pertaining to my sordid past.

I'm surprised that he didn't tell anyone about why I moved here that first day. I can't believe that the whole bloody school doesn't know that I moved here to run away from memories like a coward. Which I expected to start rumors about a lover who died in a tragic accident or getting raped or…something. But I haven't heard a peep from anybody regarding it. He hasn't even brought it up in one of our rare, somewhat awkward conversations again. Keeping his mouth shut about that had to count for something in the trust department right?

I got myself a salad and bottle of water for lunch then sat at an empty table far away from the rest of the student body. I glared and gave a Malfoy-esque sneer to anyone who dared approach me.

God I absolutely loath being at this school alone with all of these unfamiliar faces. This would be so much easier if I had Harry and Ron here to talk to. This is the first time we've been separated for more than a few weeks since we were eleven years old. We've always been inseparable, even when we were fighting amongst ourselves. I seriously miss having them around right now. They have always helped me to grin and bear even the worst situations like a good girl.

I hastily stood up from my table and made my way to the dampened court-yard outside of the cafeteria. Every eye in the room followed my body, but I paid them no attention. I needed to get away from them. I needed the peace offered to me outside away from all of the stares..

I sat heavily on one of the damp stone benches with my knees pulled against my chest and stared at the dark, ominous forest. The harsh, slightly chilled wind was playing Russian roulette with my unruly mass of hair as it whipped around me. A few salty tears of guilt escaped my eyes as I thought about my two best friends in England.

They must hate me for abandoning them when they needed my strength the most. When I left they fought with me, well mostly Ron fought with me. Harry was upset that I was going so far away, but he understood. He's been in my position before and I could actually tell him how I was feeling since we were so close. But Ron? Well Ron's always been a bit thicker and more self-centered than Harry; Not to mention he still has the emotional range of a teaspoon. He didn't understand why I needed to leave. He couldn't comprehend that for once in my life I just needed time for myself.

We still weren't on speaking terms when Harry saw me off at Heathrow.

I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes when I heard the door open and the fall of heavy foot-steps approaching me. I continued to stare at the forest in a melancholy mood until a muscular body sat beside me. Once I smelled that wonderful musky scent, I immediately knew who it was.

"You ran out of that cafeteria like the devil was on your heels. What's the matter darlin'?"

I looked over at Jasper in surprise. Most men avoid sad, crying, emotionally unstable women like the plague. But he looked as if he genuinely wanted to know. His handsome face was marred by a slight frown and his brow was knitted in concern.

I looked back at the forest and decided to tell him a partial truth since he refrained from spreading around my reasons for moving here. "Oh I'm just having typical girly emotional problems."

My inner snide personality snorted in disdain. _Yeah typical girly problems where I'm terribly worried about my two best friends whom probably hate me and are also recovering from a war where we watched a lot of our friends and family members die.  
_  
Way to downplay it a bit to the only person in this school who has showed even a slight hint of genuine concern for you Hermione.

His lip quirked up as he nodded his agreement. "Typical girly problems. I should have known it was those pesky things. My twin sister Rosalie has them all the time."

I chuckled. If only he knew how deep my problems went. Probably far deeper than hers. He'd be running away as fast as he possibly could from my fucked up world. I looked at him with an eyebrow half raised in curiosity and half in skepticism. "What made you follow me?"

He glanced over in surprise. "You just randomly ran out of there and I thought something was wrong… I know how it feels to be the new kid with everybody staring and judging you while doing their best to make you feel uncomfortable so I came to check on you."

I couldn't even form a response to that. I was a little shocked and quite grateful that he even noticed. I can't believe he even cared enough to come see what was wrong when everyone else probably just started talking about me some more.

He stood and started walking towards the doors when the bell rang for the next class. Just as he was about to go inside I called out to him. He turned towards me casually and I offered him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks Jasper. It was really nice of you to come out here."

A beautiful grin broke out on his face as he continued inside the building. I followed him and made my way towards my afternoon classes in a daze.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

**A/N:** Ok. I know this update is reallly late, but I lost power early Thursday morning due to the random snow storm that hit North East Texas (Yeah I know it was 70 degree's last week so don't faint.) and we just got power back this morning. I spent my entire day reviewing this chapter for errors and rewording a few things that sounded a little off so that I could get it posted tonight. I'll also probably post the next chapter which is sort of a companion to this one later on tomorrow night. So without further ado... Chapter 6.

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

Friday. It's finally Friday. That's the only thing my brain was processing on the drive to school. At 3:15 p.m. this afternoon I will be able to claim that I survived my first week of muggle high school on my own. No help from magic. No help from Harry or Ron. Just me surviving all on my own.

Yay for me.

In fact, there are several things I have to be thankful for today. First of all, I didn't have a horrible nightmare last night. For the first time in seven years I actually had a full eight hours sleep. I feel like a brand new woman. It's a slightly euphoric feeling to be this well rested and energized. If this is how everyone else in the world feels all the time, its no wonder some people get urges to do insane things like sky-diving or bungee jumping. This feels fantastic.

Oh and yesterday the other students finally stopped staring at me as if I were a radioactive science experiment with three legs, a tail, one eye, fur spouting out in random places, and a pig snout. That feels really good, now I don't have to fight the urge to whip out my wand and curse them all into oblivion.

Heck, I don't even make the sea of teenagers part anymore due to my mere presence. I'm finally going to be able to blend in as long as this trend of me becoming less noticeable and interesting continues.

When I pulled into the lot, I automatically noticed Jasper was here. He was next to the monstrous Jeep fighting for something with a huge guy he informed me was his adopted brother. I shot him a tentative smile in greeting once I stepped out of my car. Ever since Wednesday when he showed a bit of genuine concern for me, I've felt more compelled to acknowledge his presence even if I don't want to talk or anything. I feel that I should at least be polite.

They both immediately stopped fighting and grinned back at me with comical waves of their hands. Their unnoticed synchronized action reminded me of the Weasley twins and I felt a pang of longing for the care-free brothers of my past life.

Even though they annoyed the hell out of me with their constant attempts to prank me, I loved them like the brothers I always wished for growing up. Even in the darkest of times they were always able to bring a smile to my face with their childish antics.

I began weaving my way through the crowd when I sensed his presence beside me accompanied by the wonderfully unique smell that can only be labeled as 'Jasper'. "You seem rather happy this morning." He commented as he held the door open for me.

I chuckled knowingly. "Well now that the crowd of students are no longer parting quicker than Moses parted the Red Sea when I walk through; I no longer stick out. I can just go on about my business without hundreds of eyes cataloging my every move. _I can be invisible_. It's a liberating feeling."

And as strange as that sounds, it honestly is somewhat liberating. Now that all of these kids realize they won't get any juicy gossip or interaction out of me; I can live my life without anyone really caring about it or bothering me. That's a foreign feeling. I don't think I've been able to go to the loo in England without fifteen reporters knowing about it and writing in their gossip columns about it since fourth year.

That is one of the many drawbacks to being Harry Potter's best friend; It is assumed that just because we're friends, we're lovers. So it's safe to say that the paparazzi follows me everywhere waiting on me to make a mistake. Not to mention, every female in the world hates me and automatically points out all of my faults. For some reason all of them think that discrediting me will give them a shot with The Chosen One or whatever insane nickname they've bestowed him with now.

"You're a strange one Hermione Granger. Most girls would kill to be the center of attention."

By this time we had reached my first class of the day and I turned towards him with an eyebrow raised as a silent challenge. "I'm not most girls."

He started walking down the crowded hallway backwards, charming smile in place. "I know and I think that's what I like about you."

By the time U.S. History rolled around, my good mood was waning. I got stuck with an absolute dunderhead for my lab partner in Chemistry. Some bloke named Erik. I had to do all of the work in order to keep the entire room from being set ablaze. And he had the nerve to criticize me while I was doing it! Oh and lets not forget the completely un-subtle groping of my ass.

I've never wanted to Avada someone more in my life.

I threw my books on my desk with an annoyed huff. My pens and spiral note-book went flying to the floor which pissed me off further. I was about one step away from stomping my foot and hexing the entire bloody school. The boys would have already realized I was gearing up for one of my tirades and exited the room as quickly as possible to avoid my wrath.

"If that creepy ass snake wasn't dead I'd tie _that_ greasy haired, pimple faced fucker up and hand him over without a second thought. I should have broken his jaw for daring to touch my person. Hell the Ferret didn't even touch me and I broke his….Gah…I must be going soft." I muttered darkly as I squatted to pick up my scattered belongings.

An ice cold, pale hand landed on top of mine while I was reaching for a pen on the other side of Jasper's desk. It sent a slight tingle through my fingertips and I gasped in surprise. I looked up to find him holding two of my pencils in his other hand with a concerned look on his face. Though, If I looked closely I could also see a hint of amusement hidden in the depths of his eyes. He obviously heard my mini-tirade. I can honestly say it is the shortest one I've ever had in my life. He should feel blessed.

I looked down at his stone-like hand in confusion, then back up at him before I slowly pulled my hand back to my body. I stood and eyed him somewhat warily. Not only did that instant connection I felt with him alarm me, but the moment our hands touched my magic went crazy in a way I haven't felt since the war. My body was instantly tense and ready for an attack.

I muttered a hasty thank-you and took my seat. The entire class I kept sneaking glances at him. My brain was screaming that he was too cold; that no human can or should feel that cold to the touch.

That of course led me to questioning everything about his appearance that attracts me to him. His entire being…it's too appealing as well. I also effortlessly re-called the ease and grace with which he navigated the halls backwards this morning. Most people would have stumbled or bumped into someone or something at least once. But he did not. I began cataloguing his every feature out of the corner of my eye. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his eyes were a darker gold than the pale honey they were a few days ago with dark flecks in the iris. I probably wouldn't even have noticed so soon if I hadn't been looking for anything off about him. He also had bruise-like circles beneath them that weren't there yesterday. Normally, it would take missing a ton of sleep to put them there. I would know that first hand.

I continued my observation of anything abnormal about him during lunch. Just like the previous four days, Jasper sat with four other people who were just as beautiful as him. They isolated themselves from the rest of the student body. They stuck to themselves. I liked that about them because they weren't caught up in the social scene even though they were by far the most attractive and wealthy students in the school.

But it was also a weird behavior for their age-group. So I started observing the others as well. I immediately noted that none of them actually ate their food. They simply shredded it and moved it around on their plates as they talked amongst themselves.

There was a female he sat by everyday who shared similar features with him. She is his twin if I remember correctly. Now I'm doubting that story even though they do look somewhat alike with their flawless skin, curly blond hair, and golden eyes. The other three at the table were all different and yet inherently similar. Their was a tiny, pixie like girl with spiky black hair who moved around as if she were dancing, the gigantic- slightly intimidating burly man with short brown hair from this morning, and a lithe bronze haired man who carried himself in an arrogant manner. These three had golden eyes as well. A strange and very distinguishing feature for all five of them to share when they are adopted.

This family is picture perfect. For the past few days whenever I've seen the five of them together at lunch their perfection has been sending my magic into a frenzy because it's a very alluring and inhumane perfection. I've just ignored it, passing it off as paranoia because it's never reacted that way around Jasper until today when we touched.

Without doing any research I can tell they are not human. No normal human is that beautiful, that well sculpted, or that graceful. No adopted siblings look so different, yet share a trait such as eye color.

My new mission would be to figure out what sort of magical creatures were residing in Forks, Washington.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

**A/N:** Ok... I know I was supposed to update sooner, but this wasn't a previously typed up chapter. I went to post the next one and I just felt like the story was missing something. So I spent the entire week writing and re-writing this totally unplanned chapter for you guys. Let me know what you think!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(JPOV)_

I was feeling good on our drive to school today because I managed to get a little bit closer to Hermione this week. She was friendly and even began acknowledging my presence after I found her crying outside during lunch on Wednesday. It wasn't much, but beggars can't be choosers. Somehow I broke down a few of the walls she has carefully built around herself to keep everyone at arms length.

"Where were you all night bro?" Emmett asked over his shoulder.

I smiled. Of course Emmett is the one to care the most where I was all night. He more than likely missed having me to play Modern Warfare with him on the X-Box. I probably have the best bond with Em and Rose out of everyone in my family. They both have very distinctive personalities that draw me to them. With Emmett it's his loving, care-free nature that begs for brotherly bonding time where we play video games, hunt irritable Grizzlies, and wrestle. Whereas Rose I'm drawn to her fiercely protective nature and loving emotions hidden beneath the cold hearted bitch façade she puts up to the world. The two of them are definitely the most laid back and fun members of the family at any rate.

I met Emmett's eyes in the rearview mirror. "I went out for a run in the forest and came across some emotions that worried me. I followed them to a house about three miles from ours, the one Esme designed. The despair and panic were overwhelming, but everyone was asleep. I figured someone was having a nightmare and sort of felt compelled to help. So I spent my night in a tree sending calming lethargic waves to the three people inside."

His lips formed an 'O' Shape. "Well you missed a helluva game last night. I dropped two nukes! Two!"

I shrugged in a 'What can I do?' fashion and he let it go. Only he just had to go and start rapping like an idiot for the rest of the drive. It was seriously on my last nerve when we pulled into the school lot. Before he knew what happened, I popped the disc out of the stereo and got out of the Jeep at a human pace. He immediately began fighting me for it, hoping he would be able to rescue the annoying thing before I snapped it in two.

He had my head trapped underneath his armpit while I held the c.d. up above us just out of his reach. I smelt honey and orange blossoms waft towards me so I looked up to find Hermione watching us with an amused expression. Emmett, noticing my sudden stillness, followed my gaze. He released me and we both returned her hesitant wave and smile with goofy ones of our own.

She immediately felt a flash of sadness and longing. We must have reminded her of someone or something. But overall she was in a very good mood considering the way she's felt during the past week. I hurriedly handed Emmett his precious rap disc and ran at a human pace to catch up with her.

Her lips were tipped up into a soft smile as she walked and she looked… refreshed; Like she was ready to take on the world. "You seem rather happy this morning" I commented as I held the door open for her like the gentleman my momma raised.

A soft, husky chuckle left her lips. The sound warmed my soul in ways I never imagined a simple laugh could. "Well now that the crowd of students are no longer parting quicker than Moses parted the Red Sea when I walk through; I no longer stick out. I can just go on about my business without hundreds of eyes cataloging my every move. I can be invisible. It's a liberating feeling."

I laughed because when I think back on this past week. She definitely has a point. It was near impossible for her to be inconspicuous when that happened. It was like she had a sign pinned to her back with big bold letters proclaiming her to be the new kid.

Though I find her desire to avoid being the center of attention really odd. Normal teenagers crave that attention. They need that feeling of importance. So this was yet another strange thing about her I could add to my quickly growing list.

"You're a strange one Hermione Granger. Most girls would kill to be the center of attention."

She turned towards me with her hands on her hips and eyebrow raised in challenge. "I'm not most girls."

I've never heard a more true statement in my life. Hermione Granger, my mate, was definitely not most girls.

I grinned at her because she looked as if she were about to tell me off for doing something naughty. It was cute. I walked backwards to show off, weaving my way through the crowded hallway.

"I know and I think that's what I like about you." I said with a flirtatious wink.

The burst of attraction she felt made my day. It gave me something to think about during all of my classes. A reason to grin and act as if I actually wanted to be here. Before I even reached the history classroom that afternoon, I was feeling wave after wave of a fairly intense anger coming from it.

Curious, I walked a little faster towards the room. When I entered, I was met with the site of Hermione slamming her belongings onto her desk in a fit of fury. Her eyes were alight with a burning passion, her cheeks flushed, and the air seemed to be electrically charged around her. She looked magnificent. Her pens, pencils, and a few papers went flying to the floor. She growled in frustration and kneeled to pick them up.

She growled! It was possibly the sexiest sound I've ever heard in my life. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to ravage her and make her mine. Her frustrated words snapped me out of my lustful fantasies.

"If that creepy ass snake wasn't dead I'd tie that greasy haired, pimple faced fucker up and hand him over without a second thought. I should have broken his jaw for daring to touch my person. Hell the Ferret didn't even touch me and I broke his….Gah…I must be going soft."

Come again? She would do **what** with a snake and a ferret?

I shook the confusion out of my head, replaying the sentence a few times to make sense of it. Though the snake comment confused me I managed to make some sense out of the last part. The image of someone of her stature breaking a jaw was both a humorous and sexy vision.

I kneeled down to help her. We reached for a pen at the same time and our hands touched. Her warm skin burned into mine. It felt amazing. A simple touch of our hands made me feel so alive…yet so calm. I yearned to trail my fingers up her arm and across her beautiful face. I wanted to explore every inch of her; to cradle her soft warm body against my cold stone one. She is the woman I would gladly walk through the fires of hell for just to touch once more.

She obviously wasn't thinking the same. Her emotions sky-rocketed. They began cycling too fast for me to identify them as she looked at our joined hands then back to my face with a stricken expression.

Before I could blink, she snatched her hand back to her body, muttered an insincere sounding thank you, and scrambled into her desk. I was left kneeling on the floor without a clue as to what was going on with the beautiful brunette.

I took my seat and tried to get a read on her emotions, but they were still a jumbled mess. The only one that seemed to stand out was that she was infinitely more wary around me now. She was feeling paranoid and distrustful. Though to be honest, the girl doesn't trust anyone. She always seems to be waiting for an attack.

I stared straight ahead the entire class, I could see her studying me due to my vampire vision. Her eyes looked troubled. There was some unknown battle waging within her.

Her calculating gaze continued to burn into me and the rest of the family throughout our lunch period. I acted as if I wasn't aware of her inspecting us as if we were objects beneath a microscope, but I was. It was completely unnerving me. With the touch of a hand, I went from being an almost friend to having her watch me like this.

Edward and the rest of the family were slightly worried about it when I asked for advice about her strange behavior. I could feel Edward's determination as he attempted to read her mind and discover what was wrong.

It was pointless though. Her mind was a fortress he couldn't breach. However, I really wish it would have worked. I would give anything to know what she is thinking. What if she noticed something was off? In her fragile emotional state she just wasn't ready to learn the truth about us.

Her strange behavior kept me distracted all through gym. Someone actually managed to hit me with a dodge ball because I didn't care enough to step out of the way.

As I strolled into Art, I couldn't help but hope that things would be back to normal. She gives me a shy smile and exchanges a few words. Then we do our work. They weren't.

She ignored my greeting then eyed me suspiciously and even scooted her chair over a bit when I sat down. I was starting to feel depressed. I mean, I've done nothing to warrant this type of reaction.

Mrs. Verity began talking about what we would be doing today. Every Friday in this class, she gives us a general subject to draw and each person in the class has thirty minutes to draw it then they must explain their choice to the class.

" Alright class. As you all know today is Friday, which means we will be doing our weekly draw and discuss. In just a few moments, I'm going to walk around the room and each of you will pick a slip of paper out of my bowl. Each piece of paper contains an emotion. I want you to spend thirty minutes drawing an image you associate with that emotion. Then you will each take a few moments to tell the class about it."

The unusually happy woman began walking around the room, Rosalie, who was sitting behind me sent a wave of annoyance for the assignment. I personally thought it to be interesting, I would get an inside look at why people feel certain emotions. Maybe I'm going to enjoy this because I'm an empath and emotions are sort of my thing.

At any rate, Hermione would get an emotion and have to draw the first thing she associates with it. That should give me a bit of insight into her mind.

Mrs. Verity finally reached our table. We both reached in and pulled out a folded slip of paper. I slipped it open Love. Ok. At least I got a happy emotion that poses no problem for me. I glanced next to me. Hermione was staring at the small piece of paper with a pale face. I would wager a guess that she is very unhappy with hers.

Since she was ignoring me, I decided to ignore her and work on my drawing. Love. What comes to mind when I think of love? An image of Carlisle and Esme dancing in the middle of our living room popped into my mind.

During the thirty minutes, I sketched out the picture. In it Carlisle was dipping Esme low, staring into her eyes while she smiled lovingly up at him. They are completely enraptured with one another, their love shining in their eyes. That's the type of love I want to have. Instead of adding to the background I shaded the area around them in shades of gray so that the image really popped. At the top of the picture I wrote 'Love' in an elegant script.

The buzzer went off and I looked up. Mrs. Verity immediately began calling us to the front of the room in alphabetical order to present our emotion and drawing. Their drawings varied and at times I wasn't even aware how something like that could relate to the particular emotion. Like a margarita glass relating to excitement. I mean really? Is a glass meant for an alcoholic beverage the first thing you think of when you think of excitement? Humans are so weird.

When she called Hermione's name I perked up. Her paranoia and discomfort spiked as she took the stool at the front of the room. It almost looked like she wanted to glance over her shoulder every five seconds. She shifted uncomfortably as she lifted her sketch. What I saw confused me. It was a sketch of three tombstones in a barely defined graveyard. Due to my vampire vision I could make out the names written on each in her cramped writing; Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Blaise Zabini.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "My emotion was fear. I know that most people fear spiders or heights, or even scary monsters, but I know that there are far worse things in this world to be scared of. That is why I fear death. I'm not worried about my own death, but for the deaths of three people who mean the most to me. Harry and Ron have been my best friends since we met at boarding school when we were eleven years old. When I wasn't forcing them to do their homework we would cause mischief or pull pranks on other students together. Blaise is my quirky and very cunning Italian friend. We didn't become friends until we were fifteen, but it feels like we have been friends since birth. He has stood by my side offering support or a shoulder to cry on during some of the worst moments of my life. I can't imagine a life without the three of them in it and that is what scares me most."

Though she started out shaky and uncomfortable, her voice grew impassioned and her eyes lit up by the end of her explanation. I could feel the fear she held regarding their deaths. But I could feel the love pouring out of her as she explained herself. It was amazing to know that she was capable of loving so deeply and passionately. I couldn't wait until she loved me that way.

It was my turn next and I strolled to the front of the room with my sketch. "As you can see, my emotion was love. This is a picture of my father, Carlisle, and mother, Esme, dancing. We came home early one night and found them taking a spin around the living room without any music. It was just the two of them dancing to their own tune. I have never seen two people look so in love and it made an impact on me. It showed me what real love looks like and gave me hope that I could find something that raw and intense with someone."

I went back to my seat, ignoring all of the 'awe' emotions from the girls in the room. Guess they love a closet romantic. Hermione was smiling softly at me and I could feel the contentment my answer gave her as well as a little trust seeping back into her emotions. Maybe I was forgiven for whatever offense I committed?

I smiled back at her and propped my head onto my hand in order to listen to the rest of the presentations.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

**A/N:**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

I was once again observing the radiant family on the following Tuesday at lunch. I couldn't believe what my weekend revealed. I, Hermione Granger, managed to find magical creatures in one of the most remote towns in the United States. And not just any magical creatures. I found vampires.

I've started believing that maybe Harry was right all those years ago… trouble does just seem to find us no matter what.

It wasn't too terribly hard to figure out after I had that epiphany regarding their perfection on Friday. It got me to thinking when I got home because if there is one thing I've learned about magical creatures its that the more perfect and beautiful they seem, the more dangerous they are.

In fact, the only thing that confused me was their eye color. I've never encountered vampires who abstain from humans so it took a bit of research throughout the weekend to figure out that I was right, that they were indeed vampires. Last night I surprisingly found the answer in one of the Magical Creatures books I purchased before I left England. It didn't contain much information about them, barely a paragraph, but it was helpful.

_"Though very rare, it is possible to come across vampires with golden eyes. These abstain from consuming human blood and instead drink from animals . Unfortunately, no one has been able to properly research these rare covens to determine whether the animal blood affects their physical abilities differently than human blood. So for your own safety, assume that they are just as strong, fast, and dangerous as human drinkers." _

Despite the warning in my text, I'm not the least bit frightened by them. Not even after the few bad encounters with human drinkers I have had. Now that my magic has stopped going haywire in order to warn me that they were not human I've been able to concentrate on their good attributes.

This past week I've witnessed them repressing their natural instincts to attack anything with a pulse. I've watched as they struggle to hold onto the last shreds of their humanity. I can't turn my back on them after watching this. I can't hate them or be afraid. I've never met vampires so civilized. Vampires, like Werewolves, don't usually posses such a strong desire to be good, wholesome creatures since they are shunned for their species.

This is truly an intriguing coven. I'm going to enjoy my chance to interact and study how they are different from human drinkers.

But now I'm confused about how to act around them. It's bugged me since my suspicions were confirmed. Do I reveal that I know their secret and commend their choice of diet? Do I tell them my secret? Is the reason Jasper talks to me, but no other human because they already know mine? But as I really think about it the answer to all three questions is a resounding no for several obvious reasons.

If I tell them I know they are vampires they might kill me before I get a chance to explain how I know. And even if I do get to explain, they might not believe that I'm truly a witch and still kill me. Their first priority in life is to hide their existence from humans or else they are subject to the wrath of the Volturi.

Then again, if I tell them I'm a witch they still might attempt to kill me because most vampires hold a grudge against us. They hate how the magical world scorns them and basically treats them like brainless animals because they need to consume blood in order to survive.

Most magical creatures whom are familiar with us can sense the power within our bodies. It naturally radiates from our magical core and leaks into our surroundings as a defense mechanism. So I imagine they would have already approached me to inform me they are vampires if they knew I was a witch. After all, It's a common curtsy in the magical world to let someone know what you are when you co-exist so as to not accidentally expose one another to the muggles. Which leaves me believing they are completely oblivious to the existence of other magical beings.

So the obvious thing for me to do would be to keep my mouth shut about it all. I should just continue living my life and let them live theirs. I should just let things go back to how they were the first few days of school. I should do my best to avoid them at all costs.

If only it were that easy.

As if he felt my gaze, Jasper's golden eyes met mine and he offered me a heart-stopping smile. I couldn't stop the one that bloomed on my face in response as my heart-beat stuttered. I'm attracted to him…drawn to him even though I know he's a vampire. Looking into his eyes I know I should fear him because of what he is; what he is capable of doing. But I can't bring myself to feel that way towards him.

Deep down inside I get this incredibly safe feeling whenever I'm in his presence. I know that no matter what, he won't hurt me and he won't let anyone else either. It's just…strange. I don't know anything about him or his life as a vampire, but I know that I'm not in danger around him. I know that he'll protect me. On top of that, I have these uncontrollable urges to talk to him. I desire to touch him and let him hold me. My body alerts me to his presence as soon as he enters a room.

I've been trying to shake these…urges…these feelings and they just won't go away. Whatever this is…this feeling of needing to be in his presence and needing him truly scares me. I've never honestly needed anyone since I was eleven years old. I've always been the one people rely on. If someone needed help with homework they came to me. If someone was upset, they came to me. And then I became the person offering protection as well as shoulders to cry on. I don't know how to be the one needing these types of things. It just does not feel right. It makes me feel weak.

I know that ultimately it's wrong of me to feel these things towards him. It's an attraction that will lead to nowhere because ultimately he's a vampire and I'm a broken, battle hardened, and war-torn witch. In what type of world would the two of us actually stand a chance?

Yet I can't help but want to taste this forbidden fruit. And sweet Merlin is Jasper forbidden!

I've denied myself so many things these past seven years. Girls like Pavarti and Lavender got to experience a mostly carefree life and I didn't. I couldn't date like the other girls because I had to focus on training to fight in a war. I couldn't run around the castle carefree because I had to spend all of my free time in the library researching. I couldn't spend time on my appearance because I was too busy being handler to a spy and helping him assassinate known Death Eaters after interrogating them.

For once in my life I just want to do something normal. I want to do something for me without worrying about the rest of the wizarding world. When have I ever been selfish? When have I ever done something solely for myself? Never.

I'm here for a fresh start, to find myself. And if that entails being attracted to a man -well vampire- and possibly flirting with him… then so be it. As long as I'm careful and I don't get too attached. As long as I don't get too involved it'll be ok. I'll be able to go back to London without any regrets. I won't spend the rest of my life wondering about what could have been.

With those encouraging and slightly confusing thoughts I made my way towards Art. The other class I share with my own personal Eros that is Jasper Hale. I could compare him to many of the mythological deities, but Eros seems to fit perfectly.

Eros is the god of three things that seem to personify Jasper; Lust, Love, and Sex. The man has every woman he passes panting after him lustfully (me included), from our limited interaction I can tell that he loves deeply, and the man just oozes sex appeal. He's a walking talking orgasm if I've ever seen one.

"What's got you so flustered Darlin' ?" Aforementioned god questioned from beside me.

I jumped slightly from his sudden appearance next to me and felt the blood rush to my face at being caught thinking such naughty thoughts about him. Damn the bad luck.

"Umm…nothing."

He chuckled and held the door open for me. "Uh huh. Anyone ever tell you you're a horrible liar?"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. I've never been able to lie properly. "Everyday of my life for the past seven years."

"So about these naughty thoughts…anybody I know starring in them?"

I immediately wanted to scream out 'Yes! You!' or something seductive along those lines. Instead, I sat in my chair and gave him what I hope was a haughty look to cover my embarrassment at being caught thinking about him in a sexual manner.

"I was thinking no such thoughts. Perhaps you're the one whom should get their mind out of the gutter."

He sat beside me with a blindingly white grin that would put the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland to shame. It annoyed me that I was caught and we both knew it. So I decided to let my inner snarky personality out to play for a bit. It's been much too long since I've encountered someone adept at exchanging words. In a sick, slightly perverted way I miss Malfoy. He was always able to form such entertaining witty comebacks.

"Geeze Jasper. Wear a warning sign next time you plan on grinning like that. I don't like being temporarily blind."

My attempt to start whatever twisted game of insults I play with the ferret didn't work. His infuriating grin just grew larger.

"I happen to think I'm one incredibly sexy man when I grin. Don't you think so?"

Uhm Duh? What woman wouldn't? Hell, he could turn a straight man gay with that sexy little grin. But I would never tell him that. His ego is obviously big enough as it is..

"Never thought I'd ever meet a man who could be any more arrogant than Malfoy." I muttered to myself. Even though I know he heard every word, I looked up with big innocent eyes and smiled sweetly to play it off.

"Do I need to have NASA send out a team of astronauts to bring your ego back from whatever galaxy it's currently residing in?"

This earned me a full out laugh instead of a witty retort. I just found his first flaw..._Pity. _He really doesn't know how to play the game. Perhaps I should instruct him on the finer points of exchanging insults. The first being that he must retort to whatever rude remark I make with one of his own about me. That would be a definite improvement over his laughter.

But I still watched him utterly fascinated. Those golden eyes danced with humor and his beautiful face lit up with a megawatt smile. I stared mesmerized. I could die happily right now knowing I wiped his usual stoic expression off his face and put that smile there instead.

His lips remained twitching even after he calmed down. He turned towards me with a wink before he shot me a lopsided grin and started working on our assignment.

The vampire that is Jasper Hale has me under his spell and he knows it. Cheeky bastard.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

**A/N: **So in this chapter, we are skipping ahead a few weeks.**  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(JPOV)_

After the second week of school, things really began looking up with Hermione. She became less withdrawn and a little more open with me. Instead of ignoring my attempts at starting a conversation she would talk to me. She still avoided talking to the general student body like they had the plague, but she was different with me. Sometimes it was just a smart-ass remark or a quick hello. But it was still communication.

Perhaps us being mates is influencing her, drawing her to me just as I'm drawn to her. Or perhaps I passed some unknown test.

Either way, since the second week of school I've felt that some sort of barrier within her has fallen. That trust I want to earn so desperately is growing by leaps and bounds every day. I can feel it and I can even see it.

She's growing less guarded around me. She doesn't jump or freak out if I accidentally touch her. She's also slowly divulging facts about her life while I tell her the human version of mine. None of the things she tells me give me any clue about what happened to her in the past. In fact her answers are usually vague and greatly lacking in detail. It's killing me, but I've decided that I won't push her to tell me more.

I mean sure I'm slightly disappointed. But only because I was sort of imagining her immediately spilling every one of her secrets. That's how it would be in a perfect world anyways. I meet my mate, she instantly falls for me, she confesses all her deepest secrets, I bite her and we live happily ever after. In the real world I know that I'm just going to have to be patient with her because her emotions tell me her life in England wasn't a picnic.

I have to admit; It's a little more exciting this way. As the days pass, I'm slowly unraveling the mystery that is Hermione Granger.

One thing I've learned about her is that she's smart, but she isn't in your face about it. She really tries to hide it. It's a futile effort on her part because it shines through when she isn't even trying. Her brilliance astounds me. She can match me in an intellectual debate any day of the week about any subject and I love it. She challenges me in ways no other woman or vampire has before.

I've also discovered that her feelings aren't dominated by her hormones like other teenagers. When she feels an emotion be it anger, sadness, love, or amusement, she feels it deeply… with unbridled passion. She's an empath's wet dream with the way she feels things.

Luckily her irrational emotions have leveled out since the day we met and are slowly being replaced by a more normal aura. The sheer panic that overcomes her at times has started to come less frequently, but she still remains wary to the point of paranoia. The bouts of depression, guilt, and self-hate are still there and I've noticed they are more frequent whenever she plays with that unusual charm bracelet on her right wrist. I'd find some way to destroy that reminder of her past if I couldn't feel how much it means to her. It upsets me that she's still deeply troubled. I'm bummed about not having an effect on that part of her, but I forget all about that whenever I feel her genuine amusement or am graced with a beautiful smile.

Those times are the best. They make me feel ten feet tall and bullet proof.

The family has been getting more annoying with each passing day. They don't realize that I can't introduce her yet because we're just now becoming friends. We aren't even in a relationship so it would be odd for her to meet my family. She's still fairly emotionally unstable as well. I'm not sure how she would react to meeting seven vampires with how freakishly paranoid she is, but I can guess that it would make her extremely uncomfortable.

Alice and Edward are the only two who don't really bug me about her. The annoying duo are still straddling the fence since their gifts go on the fritz around her. I personally think its some sort of righteous punishment. It's something they deserve for knowing every little secret about everyone they meet.

Emmett and Rosalie are an entirely different story. They have been begging me to introduce them since the second day of school. Emmett wants to get to know his new little sister while Rosalie wants to commend her beautiful hair. The hesitation she felt about me being mated with a human disappeared once she saw how happy even the simplest interactions with Mia made me. They really are my two favorite 'siblings'.

And those two. Heh. They haven't got anything on Carlisle and Esme. I have to run away from the house under the pretense of hunting just to escape their pleas to meet her. They want to get to know the woman who is worthy of being their sons mate.

My vampire life feels like a damn soap opera lately. Angsty human? _Check_. Dumb jock? _Check._ Overbearing rich parents? _Check. _Siblings dating other siblings?_ Check. _ Edward lifted his eyebrow at me in question as we passed in the hallway since that thought probably rang loudly through his overly nosy brain.

I heard his answering laughter as I stepped into Art. The broken slump of Mia's shoulders and the sorrow pouring out of her caught my attention immediately. I headed towards our joint work-table with every intention of delving into why she was feeling this way whether she liked it or not.

"Hermione." I greeted her.

She gave me a subdued, sad smile. "Hey Jasper."

Once I sat down I realized I didn't have to use any clever means to glean what is afflicting her. I could see what appeared to be the reason right in front of her. The drawing in her sketch-pad. It wasn't a familiar scene and it certainly didn't look real. So I have no idea why she would feel this way, but the sadness she was currently feeling _was_ real. So I was concerned. Not to mention that when she drew this, she etched her sorrow and heart-ache into every minute detail of this horrific picture.

She followed my stare and I snatched it up before she could hide it away. I wanted to see this physical manifestation of the inner-workings of her mind. It would be another piece of the puzzle. She looked on nervously as I brought it closer to examine

I was looking at a young gangly boy with bright red hair and lifeless blue eyes. He was the focus of the picture. When your eyes finally panned out, you noticed that he was halfway crushed under a pile of rubble. Kneeling beside him was a taller, stockier male with red hair and similar facial features twisted in grief. Standing around them in a menacing manner were dark cloaked figures wearing hideous masks.

The sadness poured out of her as she looked at the picture with me. I could see the heartache in those expressive eyes. I gave her a serious look. "Wow Hermione. This is really, really good. The feelings portrayed in this piece are staggering." I said in a tone that would relay just how impressed I was by her talent.

She offered me another half hearted smile, accepting my praise. "May I look through the rest of this?" I inquired while giving the puppy dog eyes.

The indecision was written all over her face. On one hand, she wanted her work to be praised like any artist, but on the other she felt like it was an invasion of privacy. I sent her some emotions to make her give in because I really wanted to see the other drawings in here. She nodded her assent and I smiled to myself.

Picture by picture I viewed varying emotional scenes. Some were loving, others were downright depressing. Some had things in the background that were just plain creepy. Like the dark figures wearing skeletal masks. Creepy.

And the raw emotions she felt as we looked at them nearly crippled me. The guilt, the sadness, the depression, the self-hate, the longing. Each one was a strong wave that twisted her face into an un-recognizable mask.

Her reaction baffled me. I just don't get it. Other than her emotions and the few scars she has, she's just a normal person. What the fuck is wrong with her mind to make her see these things? Why do these pictures affect her so much? It's almost like these are memories she's recreated. Except that's…just not possible. Some of these deaths depicted are just…strange.

So why? What's so special about these drawings? I wanted to shake her and force her to talk to me.

Apparently those were questions I wouldn't get to ask because she closed the pad afterwards with a sense of finality and studiously avoided talking to me for the rest of the period. I would open my mouth to speak, but then her emotions would make me think better of it. I really didn't want to upset the delicate calm she had achieved, so I pushed the questions to the back of my mind to ask at a more appropriate time.

However, the final words I got from her made up for my unanswered questions. We were going to be partners on our free-lance assignment. I would finally get to spend time with her away from school!

I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking of the best way to gradually submerse her to being around vampires. I figure if I do it in small increments- sort of desensitize her to her bodies automatic fight or flight response- then her emotions won't be so erratic on Sunday when we meet to work on our art project.

Once I got home, I told Esme, Carlisle, and the others the good news. Their excitement shot through the roof when they found out they would meet her on Sunday. Of course, Esme being Esme, decided that this called for a shopping trip so that we would have human props in the house.

Emmett, Rose, and I ended up being the ones who had to accompany her since the future seeing pixie and the mind reader took off for an impromptu hunting trip as soon as I told them that Hermione was coming over. Sometimes I hate their gifts. They always get out of doing the mundane things.

The four of us wasted no time in getting this chore over with. We piled into Carlisle's Mercedes with him smirking at us behind Esme's back. Lucky fucker got out of coming to buy the stinky human food by lying about having paperwork to do. I should have called bull-shit, but hell… it _is_ my mate we're shopping for.

Emmett joked about it the entire drive back into town. No matter how many times Rosalie slapped him, he wouldn't shut up about it. He finally stopped acting like a five-year old when we walked into the supermarket because Esme gave him the evil-eye.

We walked from isle to isle picking up soda's and snacks that at least looked appetizing as we passed. We had to be sure to get enough for it to look like we were feeding seven people. Then Esme turned down an isle I don't even want to think about. The toiletry isle.

There were boxes upon boxes of tampons, maxi-pads, and all these other hygiene products I didn't even want to imagine a girl using. Emmett quickly picked some boxes up when Esme turned to examine the toilet paper and chunked them at me.

Fucker. Real men don't fight with tampons.

I picked up a box of disposable douches and chunked them at his head with a shout of "Douche bag!" before I jogged down the next isle at human speed to avoid retaliation.

I was so off in celebration land about one-upping Emmett that I jogged straight into a human. I sensed that they were going to fall from the force of impact so I quickly reached out to steady them. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." I apologized, looking down into a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"That's quite alright." She reassured me in a British accent. Wait…British? There is only one British family in Forks. I stepped back and looked at the petite woman in front of me. Her and her daughter were very similar in appearance and stature.

"Jasper?" That beautiful voice belonging to my angel questioned as she stepped around her mother holding several bags of noodles.

"Hey darlin'." I greeted her with a grin. Her heart-beat stuttered in such an adorable way as her attraction sky-rocketed. I felt my grin involuntarily widening.

"You two know each other?" Her mom asked curiously, looking between the two of us with a soft smile.

"We go to school together mam. " I replied with the most charming grin I could muster wanting to make a good impression on her.

"Yo! Jasper!" I heard Emmett yell. I turned to see what he wanted only to have something hit me in the face.

"What the..?" I looked down at the box with confusion. I picked it up and read the label. Trojan Magnum XL Lubricated Condoms*. Fuck me that's embarrassing… right in front of her mother! If I had a lighter, I'd go ahead and burn myself.

Emmett walked over laughing hysterically. "I'm so going to kill you when we get home Emmett." I told him with a meaningful glare.

He smirked. "Payback for pegging me with a box of douche's in front of the old ladies!"

"Well you're the one who started it by throwing boxes of tampons at my head! I mean really, who throws tampons?" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes like a five-year old.

"Me obviously." He smirked.

"Thank you for proving my point. Only morons throw tampons."

He scowled, knowing he couldn't come up with a good retort. Hermione was chuckling at our antics and her mother was suppressing a grin, though she was eyeing the condoms in my hand somewhat disapprovingly. I quickly shelved them.

Esme and Rose walked up, giving us both the stink-eye. "We can't take you two idiots anywhere. Gah you're worse than toddlers." Rose exclaimed, whacking us both in the back of the head soft enough so it didn't sound like two boulders colliding. However, I could feel that she was only doing it for appearances sake so I winced for effect.

"I'm sorry if my boys are bothering you." Esme apologized to Mrs. Granger with a sweet smile. "They apparently left their manners at home today." She stated turning a stern look on both of us.

"That's quite alright. Boys will be boys." She dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Miranda Granger. It's lovely to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise. I'm Esme Cullen and these are three of my children Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. I believe they go to school with Hermione."

She smiled at us. "It's a pleasure to meet Hermione's school-mates for once. That was definitely a downside to her attending boarding school. We rarely got to meet any of her class-mates since they were from all over Europe."

We all smiled politely while Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking us further down the isle. "Mum, you met Harry and Ron loads of times."

"Well those two don't count." She remarked.

"I know what you mean. My kids are so used to being around one another that they rarely socialize outside of themselves. Hermione is the first person I've heard them talk about since we moved here. Jasper talks about how funny and beautiful she is all the time." Esme informed Mrs. Granger in the most embarrassing way with an innocent smile.

Her emotions told me she was anything but innocent. She wanted to let the cat out of the bag about my crush. Evil, evil woman better be glad I love her or I would concoct a plan of revenge.

Hermione's cheeks tinged pink and I felt my eyes randomly shifting to avoid hers in my embarrassment. "Thanks Mom. That wasn't embarrassing or awkward at all." I remarked rather snidely while Rosalie and Emmett snickered at my discomfort.

The two women began pushing their buggies alongside one another, off on a tangent about something or other that I cared nothing about.

Hermione dropped back to walk beside me with an uncomfortable roll of her eyes. "Don't worry. My mum loves to embarrass me too. I think it gives her some sort of sick pleasure… maybe its payback for the pain she experienced during labor or something."

I chuckled and stood beside her as she picked up some red peppers, placing them in a bag. I followed suit and she eyed my peppers in amusement, but I couldn't figure out why. They looked perfectly fine to me. She moved down the aisle and I followed her under the pretense of picking up a few things for our home. I was mostly just staying close to her so I could enjoy a few more minutes of being able to smell her scent.

"MUM!" She cried out, jolting me from my contemplation of whether or not to pick up some fruit.

Startled, I looked up to find her mom reaching for some mushrooms and Hermione giving her a death glare with both hands on her hips.

"What?" Mrs. Granger asked innocently.

"Step away from the mushrooms. " Hermione commanded.

"But they are so good." Her mom whined.

"No, they are gross and you put them in everything."

"But Hermione."

"No buts mum. That fungus is going nowhere near my food or my mouth so put them down if you want me to eat."

I grinned at her childlike hate of mushrooms. Such a contradiction for a woman who oozes maturity.

"Fine." She pouted in defeat, placing them back upon the shelf.

After they were done gathering their vegetables and fruit Hermione bid us all good-bye and started walking away with her mother.

"Jasper is really cute." Her mom whispered.

I smirked. I am one good looking fellow though I would use an adjective like sexy or gorgeous to describe myself instead of "cute" because puppies are cute -not vampires.

"Mum!" She groaned.

"What? You can't deny it. I'm just saying… you haven't dated anyone since Viktor when you were fourteen. It would do you some good."

I felt my ears perk up a bit at this juicy gossip.

"Well it's not exactly like I've had time to date mum. And in case you've forgotten, I'm adopting my god-son as soon as he turns a year old. Not many guys are into the whole ready-made family thing." She explained in exasperation.

Err…what? She's adopting her god-son? I mean… I have no problem with the ready-made family thing as she put it. I love children and I'll gladly be that little boys daddy. But I'm a vampire and I intend on turning her into one. How is that going to work? On the flip-side, her approval rating just sky-rocketed with both Esme and Rosalie with that bit of news. Any woman who is willing to take in a child and love them as their own earns their respect.

"Of course I haven't forgotten Mia. It's sad that his parents were killed, but I'm thankful that you're adopting him. Your father and I were positive that we would never get the chance to be grandparents when the doctors told us you couldn't have children so this is like a blessing to our family." Her mother answered honestly in a choked up voice.

I was sort of saddened by the knowledge that my angel can't have children. It gave me a better understanding of her personality and possibly a reason for her lingering depression. Esme and Rose were upset as well but at least when I change her she won't be giving that up. That makes me feel better about taking away her human life.

"Oh Mum. Don't cry." I heard her whisper from the check-out lines.

"That is the saddest and sweetest thing I've ever heard. She is perfect Jasper." Esme placed her hand on my arm and assured me of what I already knew. Hermione is perfect.

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!

*Trojan Magnum EX Lubricated Condoms are a product offered by Trojan brand. I made no profit by mentioning them... I just figured they were vampire worthy condoms. =D


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

**A/N: **So I got nearly _thirty_ reviews for the last chapter and I thought I was going to faint! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep it up! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter. Oh and check out my profile. I made a banner of sorts to use as my avatar. Oh and I owe a special thanks to Wistful-Stargazer for proofreading this chapter for me! She's such a doll!**  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

It was Sunday, and it was also going to be a long day for me. I could just tell. Not only did I wake up at three thirty this morning from yet another nightmare, but I had to meet Jasper to work on our art project.

At half past eight I was going crazy. I couldn't concentrate on any books, there were only church programs on T.V., and my parents were bugging me about seeing a doctor for nutritional supplements. So I decided to get dressed and take a trip to the beach. Maybe the soothing sounds of the ocean would help. Today was supposed to be one of the last warm days of the season so I dressed in a tank top, jeans, and flip flops. I put on a pullover hooded sweatshirt to protect me from the early morning chill then I set out.

The beach was beautiful. I walked along the seashore and reflected. My main thoughts were about my nightmare. To me it's the most troubling out of all of the ones I have. Professor Snape's familiar black eyes haunt my mangled conscience. They rarely hold the acceptance of his fate that they did in real life. In my dreams they are accusing and hateful. Those fathomless eyes accuse me of being a coward. They mock me for doing nothing to help him while Lord Voldemort stood over his broken body taunting him. They pierce my soul as I watch him being killed by that snake. They blame me for his death.

I know the nightmare is a product of my guilt, but that does not make me feel any better. It doesn't help to know that my own conscience is punishing me for the way we treated him. The man spent nearly his entire life as a spy torn between two masters for us. He bowed before a mad-man and endured torture for us. He killed his father figure to help us win the war. And our payment for his sacrifice? We ridicule and underestimate him for years. Then we condemn him without allowing him a chance to prove his innocence. I feel like such a monster whenever I remember how we treated him.

By the time I made it back to where I parked my car it was time to meet Jasper. That brought up a whole new plethora of issues that have been bugging me lately. Jasper and I have sort of become friends throughout the past few weeks. We talk to one another, we help each other out during class…I even gave him the option of referring to me by one of my nicknames -Mione, my nickname in the magical world or Mia, my family nickname.

That pretty much makes us friends.

However, what is bugging me…What I don't understand is why this coven of vampires is being so nice to me. Sure they aren't human drinkers, but they still avoid interacting with other humans as much as possible. I can't imagine why they want to befriend _me_. All I know is that I don't know what to think about it. I've never really had friends that weren't witches or wizards.

I sipped from my steaming Venti Caramel Macchiato as I followed the directions Jasper gave me. The hidden entrance to his house was about a ten minute drive past my own. We were neighbors. Who knew? The two mile long driveway opened up into a meadow where a large white Victorian house stood. I looked around at the fabulous landscaping in awe as I made my way towards the front door.

The doorbell only rang once before Jasper opened the door with a heartbreaker smile and a drawled "Hey sweetheart."

_-Cue the swooning from every female in the peanut gallery._

"Hey." I returned. Then I wanted to kick myself. Of all the ways I could respond, I say something as mundane as 'hey.' What happened to the witty repertoire I have at school?

He then pulled me through a living room that was entirely too white where Emmett was playing video games while Edward plodded away on a piano. The cacophony of noise in the room was astounding. I have no idea how they can stand it with their superior hearing. I've been here all of two minutes and it's bugging me.

We walked into a large dining room which opened up to a modern kitchen decked out in stainless steel appliances. I placed my caffeine fix on the table then my rucksack of supplies beside his before I was greeted by his mother Esme. Of course she wasn't his real mother, but she was such a warm, loving woman that it really didn't show. I could tell she really did think of him as her child. I complimented her gorgeous home to which she responded and asked after my mother. A few minutes of small talk later led me to find out she was the interior designer for our house as well. So I told her how much I loved it. She left us to work on our project with a happy smile on her flawless face.

Jasper and I took that as our cue to begin. As always, the silence was comfortable and we only spoke to discuss different aspects of our combined drawing. At times I would feel him staring at me, but I ignored it and the urge to shrink away from his gaze. By the time we were done, I finished the dregs of my coffee then looked at the cup with a disappointed frown.

Aforementioned vampire art partner chuckled. "It won't refill no matter how hard you stare at it."

If he only knew that it could. Damn him for not knowing about magic. It would be so convenient to use right now.

"A girl can wish." I sighed sadly while looking at the cup. "I'm exhausted. I really need another caffeine fix."

One of his perfect eyebrows arched in worry. "Why are you exhausted?"

I shrugged, trying to forget about the guilt plaguing my conscience. "I fell asleep late, then woke up at three thirty this morning. I ended up going to the beach to help clear my head."

The concern was written all over his face. That made me feel good inside. "Did it help?"

"A little," I conceded as I stood to dispose of my cup into the rubbish bin. I met Jasper's father, Carlisle, on my way back to the table. During our talk, he kept looking at me curiously… as if he could sense something wasn't normal about me. The questioning glances were subtle, but I caught them. I shrugged it off figuring if he was merely curious about the human.

He bid me good-day with a smile. While I was up I pulled off my hoody since it was getting rather warm.

He paused at the door and scrutinized me. I could feel his gaze burning a hole in my back, making me somewhat uncomfortable. "Your tattoos are very interesting, may I have a closer look?"

I stiffened slightly because I forgot that I put on a tank top this morning. Not only were my tattoos visible, but my scars as well. The scars I constantly hide from the world beneath my mass of curly hair and clothes. And judging by the disbelief on Jasper's face he hadn't failed to notice them.

Damn vampires and their superior sight.

I chose to let Carlisle look at my tattoos. It would postpone the questions burning in Jasper's angry eyes. He stood behind my chair expectantly so I pulled my bushy hair over to my right shoulder and slid the strap of my shirt down. Carlisle hummed his compliments at the design I knew by heart; the ancient rune for loyalty with mine and Harry's initials entwined with it. Jasper didn't seem to care about looking at my tattoos at all. He was eye-balling my scars with a fiercely clenched jaw. His eyes were pools of blackness and his nostrils were flaring with every enraged breath he took. I had no problem imagining him as a vampire in that moment. He truly looked like a predator of the night.

I then pulled my hair over my left shoulder but Jasper's eyes didn't move with me. They were glued to the once again hidden hideous scar on that side of my neck given to me by Bellatrix Lestrange this past May.

Carlisle's ice cold hands traced the scarlet and golden phoenix design on my right shoulder reverently. "This is familiar." He hummed as his finger tip glided along the words 'For The Greater Good.' which circled the bird in elegant script.

I stiffened as he casually continued his thought process out loud. "I met some extraordinary men in England some time ago. It was rumored that they were members of an organization named after a Phoenix. Their mantra was "For The Greater Good."

I jerked away and looked at him, a sense of dread pooling within me. My brain was going haywire due to my mounting panic. The irrational part of me was commanding me to leave this instant before I became vampire dinner. The rational part of me, the part that always seems to ask questions at the most inopportune times, was trying to figure out how _he_ figured it out. But of course I already knew the answer; He's an old vampire. It's quite possible he's met a wizard before, therefore he sensed the power coming from me. My Order tattoo merely confirmed his suspicions.

His golden eyes met mine. They were full of kindness, but I could see the fascination and intrigue as well. By this time the rest of the family ghosted into the kitchen, no doubt wondering what their leader was talking about. Jasper was looking between us anxiously, his anger forgotten.

"This tattoo… It means you're apart of the same organization -The Order of the Phoenix- doesn't it?"

I warily stepped back towards the wall so I would have room to get out of here if this didn't end well. My body had automatically taken on a defensive stance, all it would take is a flick of my wrist to bring my wand out if I needed to fend off an attack. I looked between the other six stoic faces nervously before I confirmed his suspicions. "I am."

"Please forgive my curiosity, but the existence of The Order of the Phoenix has always been a whispered rumor in Europe's magical community. The list of members has only ever been guessed at… the society's true purpose doused in suspicion and shadow. I know you cannot tell me much, but I would love to know why it exists."

My eyes darted to his. They were merely curious, he didn't seem upset or hostile in his questioning. Nor did he seem like he was intending to upset me. So I decided to answer his request truthfully, albeit vaguely. "Essentially The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society with members from all over the world uniting to fight for the greater good of the magical world."

His eyes gleamed and he nodded with enthusiasm. "And only those with extraordinary abilities like yours can join?"

"You don't just join the Order of the Phoenix." I corrected somewhat proudly.

He nodded while the rest of the family watched us in confusion. "I assume you also have figured out what we are?"

I bit my lip nervously, my eyes darting between the seven timeless faces surrounding me. "You're vampires. I figured it out by the second week of school."

Jasper turned his wide golden-eyes on me. "You know and it doesn't bother you? You aren't afraid of us?"

My eyes rolled of their own accord as I mentally scoffed at his questions. As if I would be scared of a vampire.

"I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have continued associating with you if it bothered me. I knew I was fairly safe since you all have golden eyes. Your coven doesn't feed from humans."

They all stared at me, slightly stupefied. "I assume you've met others then?"

I looked at Carlisle. "I have, though the only one I've ever… taken the time to…exchange pleasantries with was a human drinker I met at a school party."

I worded that answer very carefully. I didn't just want to outright say I always killed them first and asked questions later. It probably wouldn't have went over all that well.

"What kind of school would allow human drinking vampires inside?" Esme asked in an angry, but concerned tone.

I gave Carlisle a strange look. It was questioning whether or not they knew the extent of the magical world he was obviously very aware of.

He shook his head so I looked around sort of gleefully, anticipating their reaction to the bombshell I was about to drop. "A magical school of course. I'm a Witch."

Their expressions of disbelief were comical and I couldn't hold in a loud guffaw on their behalf. Vampires are seriously doubting the existence of other magical beings? That's funny. Emmett was the first to recover. I imagine his easy-going, fun loving personality gives him a more open mind than the rest of his family. Alice was next, she looked like the prospect of magic excited her. Probably in relation to how it could help her wardrobe.

"Can you show us some magic?" Emmett begged eagerly.

I grinned and flicked my wrist. They all stared at my wand in disbelief, presumably because it appeared out of thin air. "Levicorpus" I whispered, my wand pointed at Emmett. He was immediately hung upside down by his left ankle about six feet from the ground.

His girly squealing was highly entertaining. I said the counter spell and he fell to the floor in a graceless lump which heightened my amusement. I love using magic for fun, it's just a pity its something I haven't been able to do in ages.

With a mischievous grin I pointed my wand at Jasper and silently cast the tarantallagra curse. His legs immediately began dancing in uncontrollable movements. The icing on the cake, however, was the look of utter confusion on his face as he stared open mouthed at his feet.

I collapsed into the nearest chair with tears streaming down my face. I could barely whisper the finite incantem to end his misery.

Carlisle's eyes were dancing with ill disguised humor. "This is so fascinating! How does your magic work and what decides whether your magical or not?"

I grinned at his enthusiasm. "Well, I know you're aware that the average human doesn't even use half of their brain. We witches and wizards use our entire brain. When our DNA is transcribed there is a mix-up that basically flips a switch to allow us to use the portion where the magical core resides. That enables us to use our powers."

"Researching the genetic differences between the magical races is a hobby of mine. Would you be willing to let me run tests on you?"

I laughed softly, especially when Esme scolded him for being rude. But I nodded my acceptance. "I would love to, but unfortunately it won't be today. It's time for dinner so I've got to get home because my mum is absolutely anal about my eating habits."

He promised to get in touch soon with bright eyes. Then Esme pulled me into a random hug and zipped out of the room after her husband and children. The dining room was now empty except for Jasper and I.

I smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to act now that the big secrets were out. He walked closer to me and smiled down at me. "You knowing I'm a vampire and me knowing you're a witch… it doesn't change things between us."

I felt an immense, surprising wave of relief as those reassuring words left his mouth. I know I enjoy his company and that I have somehow become quite attached to him over the last few weeks, I just never realized how deep my feelings went. I never realized how devastated I'd be if he rejected me once he found out the truth.

"If you're sure you're ok with it."

His lips twisted into a sexy, crooked grin that sent my heart into overdrive. "Ok with it? I think its cool as hell. Magic exists! I know a witch! And I finally have a big -very important- piece of the beautiful, intriguing puzzle that is Hermione Granger."

A blush stained my cheeks and I looked down at my bag embarrassed by his off-handed compliment. "I'm not that interesting."

He tilted my chin up with a cool finger to meet his smoldering eyes. "You are to me. You fascinate me."

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!

*Trojan Magnum EX Lubricated Condoms are a product offered by Trojan brand. I made no profit by mentioning them... I just figured they were vampire worthy condoms. =D


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

**A/N: **Sorry this one is a bit late! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter. Oh and check out my profile. I made a banner of sorts to use as my avatar. **  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(JPOV)_

I was still in a mild state of shock about all that had been revealed as I saw Hermione to the door. Her being a witch- a fellow mythical being- is something I never expected. Of all the possibilities that have been running through my head about the mystery surrounding her, this is one that honestly never crossed my mind.

Never the less, it was a pleasant surprise. I meant what I said to her in the kitchen. This doesn't change things between us. It just makes it where we are able to be ourselves around each other. And it draws me to her even more.

However, I still can't believe that Carlisle was holding out on us about this and I definitely cannot believe that Edward never picked it out of his head.

The pandemonium breaking out around the living room caught my attention. The entire family began questioning Carlisle about the extent of the magical world at the same time. They wanted to know everything he knew which, he admitted, wasn't very much.

I tuned them out.

This was information I wanted to get from Hermione. I wanted her to tell me her story and everything about her world. I especially wanted to know why she was so scarred and emotionally upset.

Just thinking about the scars on her beautiful, frail body makes me see red. Her arms were covered in quarter sized burn marks and other scars of varying thickness. There was hardly any unmarred skin on them. Not to mention the one on her left hand that I really didn't get a good look at. But the one that really set me off, to a point where I couldn't move for fear of destroying everything in my path, was the thick one on her neck. It ran from just behind her left ear, barely misses her jugular, then down to her collar-bone. It looked like someone tried to slit her throat. I've never wanted to commit murder more in my life. Only the confusion and intrigue Carlisle was feeling coupled with her dread and panic brought me out of my rage induced coma enough to figure out what was going on around me.

Unfortunately Edward opened his big mouth and I couldn't ignore the others from my perch on the couch anymore. He was pissed that she was hiding such a big secret. I personally think he is more upset that she managed to keep it from his nosy, mind reading ass. However, when Rosalie called him out on it, golden boy extraordinaire justified his anger by claiming we were deceived into thinking she was a mere human when all along she was a witch and knew what we were without revealing herself. He felt that made her a threat to us.

The copious amount of insults falling from his lips coupled with my barely contained rage brought out a side of me my family has never seen before. A side I work every day to keep chained deep within me. Congratulations fucker, you just awoke The God of War.

I pinned him to the ground with my knee in his back and my hand fisted in his hair, exposing his neck to my teeth before anyone could blink. He never even saw me coming because I didn't waste time thinking. My actions to defend my mate were pure instinctual. Venom was leaking from my mouth as I snarled at him.

"My mate has been to hell and back, something you would know if you actually took notice of the scars marring her body earlier…If you could feel her emotions. If you ever speak of her in such a manner or disrespect her again- I won't hesitate to rip your prissy little head off."

It took Carlisle radiating all the calm he could, plus another hour of Edward's submission for my anger to subside enough to think rationally. I immediately dropped his head to the floor, denting the wood from the force of the fall.

I left the house to blow off some steam. I wanted to be back in complete control at school. There is no way in hell I'm going to risk harming my angel further.

Daylight started peeking over the horizon as I came out of my rage. Within a hundred yard radius of my body, nearly every boulder and tree had been destroyed. My emotions had taken such a toll on my body that I could feel the harsh burn from the venom in the back of my throat. I took off towards Mount Rainier for a bit of hunting before heading back to Forks. If I was lucky I might find a bear to rile up and fight with.

I made it back home with my clothes ripped and shredded in some places from the bear. I had just enough time to take a quick shower and change. Edward apologized for his behavior before we left for school. Even though I could feel his genuine remorse, his apology didn't make my demon any less angry at him. He insulted my mate…he called her selfish… he dared insinuate that we should 'take care' of her before she exposes us to the humans.

**That is damn near unforgivable. **

Hermione was already leaning against her car casually when we pulled into the parking lot. She was sipping from a cup of coffee which I've learned by watching her is a substance and habit that seems to comfort her nerves. Never the less, she was giving the epitome of death glares over the edge of the cup to anybody who dared approach her for conversation.

The glare of her eyes was enhanced by the dark circles beneath them giving her a dangerous air about her person to rival our own. The circles have been there since we met, but they were even darker than usual today. She sort of resembled a vampire in dire need of blood.

But something just seemed different about her and the way she carries herself. Maybe it's because now that I've experienced the power of her magic, I can recognize the electric hum in the air for what it is. I can feel the power radiating from her, even from a distance. I have no idea how I never noticed it before…it was simply awe inspiring to feel how much raw energy she commands with her small, fierce body. It felt like her usual glares, defensiveness, and wary aloofness were accompanied by an aura that screamed "Don't fuck with me!"

She looked great leaning against her car in her tight boot-cut jeans, leather boots with a stiletto heel, and midnight blue long sleeved shirt. It nearly killed me to approach her at human speed. I leaned against the car and grinned at her. "You look gorgeous today sweetheart."

The way her heart-beat sped up as waves of attraction oozed out of her to overshadow her sadness and upset only served to widen my smile. Her tired eyes raked my body. "You don't look too bad yourself Cowboy. Walk me to class?"

I couldn't help but be pleased with both that nickname and how candid she was being with me now that we are not hiding secrets from one another. This was the first time she's ever been so…unguarded and free with me. I could still feel her wariness, sadness, and depression along with a healthy dose of reluctance but this is still definitely a step in the right direction for our relationship. At least she was willing to speak to me in a setting other than the classroom.

I pushed off the car and lifted her bag of books to my shoulder gracefully before I extended my hand to her. "As you wish Darlin'."

The envy and hatred being directed towards us as we navigated the halls made me want to kill a few of the hormonal idiots. I mean really, the new girl won't associate with any of you and I refuse to date you. Grow the fuck up and get over it. I briefly contemplated breaking a few necks just on principal, but I figure Carlisle and Esme wouldn't appreciate the mess that would create. I reluctantly pushed the urge down and carried on.

After I dropped her off at her first class, my morning passed in a haze of boredom until it was time for U.S. History just as it has every day since she arrived. She was already in the room, doodling on a piece of paper when I entered.

I ghosted into the chair beside her and noticed her entire body tensed as soon as I entered the room.. "Come here often?" I drawled to loosen her up a bit.

I felt her recognition as she relaxed minutely. She was still for a few seconds as she calmed herself down. I could hear her taking in deep, even breaths. She turned and shot me a mischievous smirk. "Can't say I'm into voyeurism."

I chuckled at the sexual reference, letting her defensive actions slide. "Me neither. How has your morning been?"

"Ugh." She groaned. "Muggle school is so…so…boring."

Muggle? What the hell is a muggle?

"Muggle?"

The teacher began talking at that same moment. She sighed and began writing furiously on a piece of note-book paper while I watched her feeling fairly lost. She slid it across to me.

_'Muggle is a term in the magical world for normal people without magical abilities.'_

**_'Oh. Strange.'_**

_'Yeah I thought so too when I first heard it.'_

I lifted an eyebrow and scribbled a reply.

**_'When you first heard it? Weren't you born magical?'_**

_'Well yes, but my parents aren't magical. That means I was born into a non-magical family which makes me a muggle-born. I didn't find out I was a witch until I was eleven.'_

Wow. That's sort of complicated. She was playing with the hem of her shirtsleeve. The scar I noticed yesterday was peeking out.

I gently grabbed her delicate hand in mine and pulled the sleeve up so I could see the scar better. She tried to pull away, but I used my strength to hold her still while I traced it. Carved deeply into the top of her hand in her own elegant script were the words 'I must not tell lies' . It took every ounce of my self control not to growl. The beast within me was itching to find out who did this and destroy them.

I released her hand in order to write back to her.

**_'Why the hell is that carved into your hand?'_**

I could feel her sadness, anger, and disgust while she wrote which didn't exactly help my emotional state.

_'It was a punishment; A lesson I can never forget.'_

I snarled softly as I replied.

**_'A punishment for what?'_**

"For telling students the truth." She whispered softly.

I looked up to meet her haunted eyes. She looked a million miles away, as if she was reliving some past experience, and probably didn't even realize she answered out loud. Her emotions were cycling so fast I couldn't get a good read on her. Now I really wanted some damn answers about her life.

**_'I'm confused…Why would you be punished for that?'_**

_' It's a very long story and quite frankly all it boils down to is that life is extremely unfair. But enough about me, my past is way too complicated to discuss in a note. How old are you?'_

Well damn. Looks like I won't be getting any immediate answers to all the questions I want to ask. Hell I'm not even getting to ask them if her emotions are anything to go by. This lack of communication between us is annoying me to no end. I want to ask questions and I want answers to them now dammit! I'm tired of being patient and understanding when she is this upset about her past. Yet I didn't say anything... something is telling me I shouldn't push her.

**_' Physically I'm almost twenty, but including my years as a human I'm 177. How old are you?'_**

I slid the paper back smugly. I answered her question and managed to ask something personal in a sneaky but effective manner.

_' I jus turned nine-teen. You are relatively young for a vampire. Is Hale your real last name_?'

**_"No. It's Whitlock. I've only went by Hale for the last fifty years.'_**

_'Whitlock fits you much better. I like it. Does anyone in your family besides Edward have a special talent?'_

**_'How do you know Edward has a gift?'_**

She chuckled._ 'I'm a witch remember? I practice a type of magic that protects my mind from intrusion. I can feel him constantly probing at it. It's very annoying and I constantly fight the urge to forcefully throw him out. But that would literally propel him across a room and that wouldn't exactly be easily explained to the muggles.' _

I nodded wistfully, feeling a bit of amusement at the mental image her explanation brought about. A whole other side of me, the sick and sadistic Jasper Whitlock of the South who made an appearance this morning, was gleeful at the possibility. Seeing that jackass thrown across a room…and then possibly beheaded would make my day.

**_'I wish I could protect my mind. It's annoying to have him inside your head all of the time. There is literally no privacy to be found at the Cullen house.'_**

I answered instead.

_'I can imagine. So is anyone else talented?'_

**_'Alice can see the future, but her visions change constantly because they depend on the decisions made by the individual.' _**

She groaned and looked at the paper holding our conversation with a bit of distaste.

_'Oh Joy. Just what I need in my life, another bloody seer. I sure hope this one won't preach about the deaths of my friends and I as much as the last one. The doom and gloom bit gets rather old.' _

I chuckled, though I can't help but wonder just how many seer's she knows and why they felt the need to predict her death.

_**'I think the pixie might take offense to that, but whatever. Don't worry about it, she doesn't see visions of you that often.'**_

Judging from her relief, I'd say that made her happy.

_'Anyone else?'_

I gulped. Well, its time to man up Whitlock. Time to confess that we can feel everything she feels.

**_ 'I'm Empathic. I can sense and manipulate the emotions of others.'_**

She turned towards me with wide eyes and a deep blush staining her cheeks. The embarrassment was pouring off of her. I snatched the paper back at inhuman speed.

**_'Don't be embarrassed about how you feel darlin'. I may be able to tell what your feeling, but I can't tell you _why _you feel that way. But…If it makes you feel better I'm willing to confess that I'm attracted to you. I'm just…drawn to you. I feel compelled to be with you at all times. Everything about you fascinates me.' _**

I grinned as she looked at the paper in disbelief. She kept looking from it to me as if this were some elaborate prank. I could feel the argument she was having with herself. Disbelief, insecurity, humor, confusion, attraction, acceptance, then back to disbelief starting the cycle of emotions all over again. After what seemed like ages she glanced around the room, smiled at me, then waved her hand across the paper causing it to vanish in thin air.

She had the nerve to laugh at my shocked expression. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and gathered my things to leave. I forgave her when she shyly grabbed my hand on our way to lunch.

Her small, warm hand felt heavenly in my cool one. An electrical current was humming between our entwined fingers. It felt so right to finally be touching her intimately. I was nearly purring in contentment.

She only picked up a chicken salad for lunch and I had to resist the urge to pile her tray high. She needs to eat so much more than she does. Yet I knew saying anything would definitely ruin her good mood. That is like the cardinal rule among women, you never comment on their weight or how much they eat.

We joined my family table and I properly introduced her to everyone for the first time. Edward was good and avoided all eye-contact with her in an act of submission. Alice bounced out a hello while Rosalie and Emmett both greeted her with welcoming smiles.

As she slowly began to eat her lunch, I started the mundane task of moving my food around on my plate and tearing it up so it looked as if I ate. I was actually watching her out of the corner of my eye. It hasn't escaped my attention that she is a very precise and methodical person. She forms habits which she finds comfort and control in. For instance, she places her books in alphabetical order in her backpack, she color codes her notes -never writing in the margins of her paper, and she constantly straightens things around her. But I just find it completely odd that she chews every bite of food exactly fifteen seconds before swallowing - An idiosyncrasy I never noticed from across the room. Perhaps she has a mild form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

A wave of amusement hit me from the gorgeous brunette at my side.

"Care to share what you find so funny?" I asked her

Four other pairs of eyes looked at her and she blushed, feeling uncomfortable with the attention.

"Well, its your whole human charade. It's nearly perfect until you pretend to eat. It's what brought about my suspicions; well besides my magic getting all annoying and telling me you weren't human."

"You talk about your magic as if it's a separate entity… As if it whispered into your ear or something." Edward frowned.

I growled at him in a tone too low for her to hear. How dare he speak to her after the things he said. It's un-fucking-acceptable. He shot me an annoyed look that screamed 'I apologized what more do you want?'

Besides the required cordial politeness, I want him to leave her the fuck alone and not pretend as if he cares about her or her life. That's what I fucking want.

Hermione smiled without a clue of the tension between Edward and I. "Actually its sort of complicated to explain. Our magic is apart of us, but it is also separate and has a mind of its own when it comes to protecting us. Every person's magic protects them in a unique manner. For instance, my magical aura spreads from me and takes stock of every object, person, and animal surrounding me. Everything around me registers in my brain subconsciously so that I'm always somewhat aware of my surroundings. But if any of the things around me do not belong -such as vampires in a school of humans- it sort of jolts me in warning and subsequently bugs me every time I lay my eyes upon them until I make the connection. It's sort of a self preservation technique."

Alice shrugged. "That's interesting and all, but humans instinctively fear us. They don't pay us much attention other than commenting on our appearance or status."

Hermione's smile faded and a bit of worry leaked into her emotions. "I know. I was just making an observation."

I squeezed her hand and sent her some calm so she would understand that we weren't offended. She relaxed.

Emmett's excitement was still at an all time high so he began throwing out questions nearly too fast for Mia to understand. But she caught some of them and began answering. I was like a sponge absorbing the minimal information about my mate as she revealed it. I could tell she was actively avoiding speaking of certain things because she neatly dodged answering some of his questions, but I let it go.

She told us about her first bout of uncontrolled magic when she was four and her mom wouldn't let her have any cookies for desert so she levitated them out of the cabinet. And how she would turn her milk or juice into soda.

That was possibly the cutest thing I've ever heard. I could just picture a tiny curly haired Hermione with a smattering of freckles across her pert nose smugly doing these things as soon as her mother's back was turned.

Then Alice started asking what sort of things she could do in the way of clothes. That's a conversation I tuned out. I could tell by the boredom pouring from her that it was one she didn't want to be having either. Fortunately we were saved by the bell.

Her relief to be out of the hot seat so to speak was rather amusing. The rest of our day passed in a normal fashion. During Art I didn't get the chance to ask her any questions because we had to present our projects, but it was ok. It had still been the perfect day… and I didn't want it to end. But unfortunately it had to. I walked her to the parking lot and said a reluctant good-bye before I left in the Jeep.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

**A/N: **You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter. When writing this chapter... I somehow ended up giving a person from her past a bit of redemption...It's just where Hermione was taking me on her journey to reveal her secrets which I'll admit is slowly coming to an end. Oh and check out my profile. I made a banner of sorts to use as my avatar. **  
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This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(HPOV)_

I was lost in my thoughts while I walked to meet Jasper at the locker his entire family shares on Wednesday afternoon. Things have been fairly great between us since our big secret reveal on Sunday. I've been able to divulge a little about my good magical history to Jasper which enabled me to connect with him on a deeper level. He has been really wonderful about not prying when I shut down on him. Not to mention I learned a few things about him as well; such as his age, real last name, hobbies, and special ability. But mostly we've just been enjoying one another's company… trying to build up our trust in one other because I have no doubt he has things he's not telling as well.

I couldn't help but hum a Weird Sister's song to myself as I reclined against the wall and watched the hallway empty of students. I mean…the God that is Jasper Whitlock is attracted to me! Me! The boring know-it-all Gryffindor book-worm! I felt like dancing! It feels so great to be recognized as something more than a walking encyclopedia.

And boy is it obvious he see's me in a light no other man has before. His attraction for me just oozes from his very being. Just one glance from his smoldering eyes coupled with his silky, velvet melt your heart and cream your panties voice makes me believe wholeheartedly that he finds me beautiful and alluring.

I was feeling like I made the right choice in coming to Forks and I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that Jasper was the main reason for that.

Feeling my good and probably lustful mood, he flashed me those pearly whites as he walked up. I couldn't help but return his smile with one of my own. How is it that this man is capable of by-passing every defense I have put in place to keep others out? How is it that he can make my sadness, guilt, and depression disappear with one devastating smile? I want to resent him for all of it. I want to hate him for taking away those feelings I deserve to feel. I want to sneer at him for breaking down my walls.

But one look at him stops me from doing any of those things. I'm starting to believe that the man is my own personal kryptonite.

With each passing minute in his presence I feel compelled to spill all of my dark secrets to him. I don't want to hide anything about my life from him. I want him to know that there is more beneath my sweet and innocent exterior. I want to show him the strong, powerful witch as well. It's just hard to reveal my traumatic past when the memories and wounds are still so fresh. But I've vowed that I'm going to try my best to open up to him…even if I can only do it a little at a time. I'm tired of trying to maintain my distance. It's so tiring to do when all I really want is be close to him. I also know the only way that I can allow our relationship to progress is if he knows everything about me…the good and the bad. I'm just praying to every God in existence that he won't reject me or judge me for the horrible things I've done to ensure our freedom from tyranny because I am falling hard for him.

He put away his unneeded books and grabbed his history text so that he could help me study for a test at my house this afternoon. Hand in hand we walked out of the double doors. "You are the most predictable person I've ever met." A voice drawled from my right.

I stopped. That was a very familiar, aristocratic drawl that I know all too well. Only one person could manage to insert that much disdain into a simple sentence. Draco Malfoy.

Gosh does he always have to ruin any semblance of peace I have? Is no place on Earth safe from Draco sodding Malfoy?

"And you are the most conceited ferret I've ever met, but you don't hear me complaining." I called out towards the right.

He stepped out of the shadows, annoying smirk in place, dressed in clothes that probably cost more than my car.

"That's what you love about me Granger and we both know it."

I guffawed at his pompous statement. His platinum blonde hair was falling carelessly across his silver eyes, a far cry from the slicked back look he sported in our youth. He looked me up and down, those once cruel eyes lingering on mine and Jasper's entwined fingers momentarily.

"Well it seems you have gotten over any grandeur fantasies involving the Weasel. That was horrible to watch. Like a Fairy and Troll mating and having three legged, winged pink goblins come out. Utterly disgusting."

I scowled, preferring to ignore that dig despite how funny it was. It took all of my effort to keep from smiling because that was a very accurate and entertaining observation. Emmett wasn't even trying to pretend he wasn't listening to us. He was laughing loudly at that odd description.

"Are you stalking me now?" I asked in exasperation.

He cocked a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"I've come to visit a friend, how is that considered stalking?"

I smiled at him sweetly. "If your looking for Parkinson, I haven't seen her. But I'm sure if you chant Voldemort's name three times then follow the smell of sulfur you'll find her…legs open and waiting."

The vampires were all snickering quietly at my side. Jasper's arm was jumping a bit as he attempted to hold in his laughter. Malfoy's lip twitched and I could see the humor in his eyes. "I'm curious to know how your so adept at finding her. Been in her knickers a few times as well Granger?"

His eyebrow was lifted and accompanied by a suggestive leer. I shuddered quite dramatically. It was just a gross insinuation.

"I think I just puked a little in my mouth. So care to tell me why I've been graced with your presence?"

He smirked while eying the Cullen's. "Maybe we should take this conversation to a more private venue."

I sighed and walked towards my sleek, gorgeous car with him trailing. I stood next to the five immortals as Malfoy got inside.

"Would you mind waiting on me in your car? I…we don't really have the best history. I might need one of you to stop me from breaking his jaw again if he gets too annoying." I requested, my instincts telling me it would be stupid to trust Malfoy after our sordid history.

Jasper looked at me with a soft, amused smile and reassured me before he got into the back of Emmett's Jeep. The talented duo from hell- my new nickname for Edward and Alice since discovering their gifts- got in the Volvo and left to tell Esme the others would be late.

I slid into the car and faced Malfoy who was eying it in awe. I smirked at his expression. If only the other pure-blood snobs could see him now. Not only is he in my muggle car, but he's impressed by it. Gotta love irony.

"So why are you here Malfoy?"

"You testified and gave evidence at my trial Granger."

His eyes were void of their usual cold, aloofness. They were clouded with confusion.

"You shouldn't read into it. I only wanted to get a final dig at your father before the Dementor's sucked out his soul. I figured nothing would humiliate him worse than for me to testify at his sons trial."

He chuckled and leaned his head against the back of the seat. It was the most relaxed and carefree I've ever seen him. This is completely mental. I have no idea how to handle him like this, we've fought our entire lives. I can do an angry Malfoy any day of the week, but interact with a pleasant relaxed one? Can you say odd?

"I've known you since we were eleven Granger. I know when your lying."

"So what if I am?"

"I'm just pointing out the facts. Your terrible lying skills happen to be a fact. Another fact is that you are noble to a fault. There was a reason you helped me and I can't come up with it. So inquiring minds want to know."

I sighed. Well here goes the explanation I tried to avoid giving to anyone when I left London.

"Malfoy, I _saw_ you sixth year. Merlin you were so angry and depressed. Anyone with half a brain could have seen how much you hated what you were going to become…what you were being forced to become. You might have been a cruel, prejudiced, arrogant prick, but you never had the desire to become your father. Then there was that night in your Manor. You were so freaked out. I don't exactly remember too much, but I remember the look on your face…seeing that…it broke you. Hell that look is freaking burned into my brain. You didn't deserve to be executed or sent to Azkaban because your father_ forced_ you to follow in his footsteps."

I glanced over at him and his eyes were closed. His usually stoic, aristocratic features were twisted with anguish. It's an expression I never want to see on his face again.

"Merlin you really are too nice for your own good aren't you? I was ready to die Granger. I wanted to! I should have had to atone for my sins. You know it and I know it. I didn't deserve your help. Especially after everything my fucked up family has done to you. Gosh that night in the Manor was the worst night of my life. I would let The Dark Lord torture me a thousand times over if it meant I could keep that night from happening."

We were both silent and I thought about what he said. I am nice, but helping him when nobody else would was the right thing to do despite everything. And he brought up another valid point. Would I change anything that happened that night? Sure it hurt like hell and I wanted to die, but the war couldn't have been won if we hadn't been captured by the snatchers.

"As noble as that statement is…That night was meant to happen. I wouldn't take it back."

He looked at me and his eyes told me just how crazy he thought I was. I smiled wryly and decided I needed to explain it to him.

"Bellatrix made a huge mistake that night. Her absolute panic about whether or not we had been inside her vault told me where Voldemort was hiding a rather important item. An item we had been searching for since before Dumbledore died. I don't even want to think about how our lives would be if that night hadn't happened."

He looked thoughtful for a few minutes as he thought about everything I said. His eyes still conveyed an abundance of guilt, but I could see his acceptance as well.

"Wait a minute…her vault. Those weren't just rumors? You three actually broke into a high security vault inside the most protected bank in the world without being punished?"

I nodded and pushed up my shirt sleeves. "Yeah these scars are from wading through the gold inside said vault. Apparently if it isn't yours it multiplies and burns you when you touch it."

"Ouch. I'll have to remember that. So is the part about the dragon true as well?"

I grimaced at the memory. "We had to pass through the Thief's Downfall to reach the high security vaults and it alerted the Goblin's that there were intruders. The goblin who helped us break in ended up betraying us so we had to improvise our escape. Unfortunately our plan b ended up with Harry cutting the chains off of a blind dragon and flying it out of the bank with Ron and I riding behind him blasting all of the rock out of the way so we didn't get stuck."

He was laughing at our misfortune. Laughing! I scowled at him and he just smirked back. "Granger, I bet the look on your face was priceless… and Merlin I can just imagine how pissed you were at Potter, everyone knows you hate flying."

I chuckled, getting how he found it funny. "Your right. And unfortunately he always seems to get me into situations where I have no choice but to fly. I was so furious I sent a flock of vicious canaries to attack Harry when we finally got off that monstrosity."

He laughed a few more minutes before his face grew solemn. "Thank you Hermione. Merlin knows I don't deserve anything you've done for me, but you did it anyway. And I know it probably doesn't mean much but I want to apologize for…well everything."

He stared at me while I sat there in shock. Draco Malfoy just thanked me! And he apologized! I quickly pinched myself to make sure this is real and not some fantastical dream. The sharp pain radiating through my arm says it is. But I still needed more confirmation.

I hopped out of the car and began inspecting the sky closely. Nothing. I looked under the car, behind the car, towards the woods. Nothing. Emmett, Rose, and Jasper were looking at me as if I had gone mad from their place in the Jeep.

The passenger door to my car slammed. "Merlin's saggy balls! What are you doing Granger?"

I looked at the sky expectantly. Surely there will be a visible sign from the god's when hell freezes over.

"You _apologized_ and _thanked_ me in the same breath Malfoy."

"And what of it?" He asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"Are you Imperioused?"

"You know the symptoms just as well as I do Granger. Are my eyes clouded and vacant? Am I walking around stiffly? Am I speaking in a monotone?" At the shake of my head he continued. "Smartest witch in a millennia my arse. What is wrong with you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Well there is no way that the Malfoy I have known for the past eight years would ever say such things to me without being threatened by the Unforgivable's or something equally as scary. Therefore, I'm merely waiting for fire and brimstone to start falling from the sky or for Snape to appear before me dancing dressed up as a woodland fairy for proof that this is really happening and not some screwed up day-dream."

I felt him shudder. "Keep your twisted, sick fantasies about my Godfather to yourself next time Granger. That is just…ugh."

I snickered at the disgusted twist of his lips. He no doubt had a disturbing mental picture going on.

"Did Blaise put you up to this?" I asked out of left field, genuinely wondering if the Italian had threatened him if he didn't thank me for sticking my neck out on the proverbial chopping block for him.

He growled. "For Pete's sake! I'm not imperioused, I haven't been threatened with an Unforgivable, and no one put me up to it! Just accept it already Granger because I sure as hell am not saying those words to you ever again!"

I could feel the sincerity and annoyance rolling off of him.

"Alright then. Your welcome Malfoy. I can't forgive you right now, but I'll get there in time. Just so you know, I think that you were worth saving. You are not and never have been a bad person; Just misguided."

He dipped his head in acknowledgment, a hesitant smile on his face which turned to one of confusion. "Wait a minute. Why would Blaise put me up to apologizing to you and since when have you been on a first name basis with my best friend?"

I smirked knowingly at him. "Ah.. Wouldn't you like to know?"

He rolled his eyes in an attempt to disguise that he really, really wanted to know.

"Stop trying to toy with me Granger. You don't have anything to hold over my head. You and Blaise have spoken all of twenty words to one another since we were eleven."

My smirk grew along with my glee at his reaction. Oh how I love screwing with his head…making him doubt things he thinks are true.

"Don't you know that things aren't always what they appear to be?"

"Whatever Granger. There is no way he could have hid something like that from me. I'm his best friend. I'm going to love rubbing this epic failure of a prank in your face when he denies my claims." He drawled in his arrogant fashion.

I laughed. "Keep telling yourself that Malfoy and tell Blaise hello for me."

He waved his hand at me in a blow-off fashion before he headed towards the forest. At the last moment he turned towards me, trademark smirk in place on his once again emotionless face.

"Oh and I know you haven't seen the Prophet lately, but Skeeter is seriously tarnishing your virginal image Granger. You should really put a stop to that if you don't want people thinking you're a bigger slag than Parkinson."

I sneered at him defiantly just as I have in the past.

"I suggest you make like a ferret and bounce unless you want my fist tarnishing _your_ image Malfoy."

Those silver eyes narrowed at me then he strutted into the forest where he disappeared with a soft pop.

I turned towards the three vampires inside the Jeep in a fantastic mood because I just pulled one on Malfoy. He was going to be so pissed when he found out that I wasn't joking with him. And Blaise was going to be the one listening to his rant! How I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the shit hits the fan between those two.

Ah the fun of screwing with Slytherins. It's a hobby I shall enjoy until the day I die.

"Well well. Who would've thought, Hermione Granger… straight A student, witch, and bank robber." Emmett teased.

I grinned up at him. "Do I detect a bit of jealousy in your voice Em?"

He guffawed loudly and gave me a look that just screamed 'Please! As if I would ever be jealous of a human!'. But the words that came out of his mouth made me laugh. "Psh! There's nothing to be jealous of. You got caught. I wouldn't have."

I smirked. He clearly wasn't paying attention. "I think you missed a key point in the story Emmett. They tried to catch us and we escaped on a dragon because we are just that bad ass."

His face immediately fell into a petulant sort of pout. He no doubt realized I would forever be more awesome than him and it bruised his ego. "So cowboy, you still coming over today or what?" I asked Jasper with a cocked eyebrow.

He was out of the Jeep and standing beside me in an instant. "You betcha darlin'."

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

**A/N: **You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter. Oh and check out my profile. I made a banner of sorts to use as my avatar. **  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(JPOV)_

I hopped into the car with Hermione, chock full of questions to ask her after such an… enlightening blast from her past. I must say, the biting comments she spouted out were very sexy. That strong side of her personality was new and exciting for me to get a glimpse of. It's a side of her I've never gotten to see before since she is usually so…upset and depressed.

We followed Rose and Emmett out of town towards our house. We must live near one another, who knew?

"So, who was that guy?" I attempted to ask her casually.

Her eyes flitted towards me and the look she shot me told me I didn't pull off the casual tone at all.

"Jealous?" She teased.

"No. Well maybe a little. I'm just curious about your past. You rarely say anything specific regarding your time at your magical school and you two obviously have some sort of history together." I answered her truthfully.

She smiled and had this somewhat far off look in her eyes as she drove down the winding country road. "His name is Draco Malfoy. He's the sole heir to the oldest, richest, and purest magical family in Europe. We attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together, but were in different houses."

School chums then? No, definitely not. Their banter- which borders on being cruel- as well as some of the things said doesn't point to them being friends. Enemies?

"Different houses?" Was the question that somehow left my mouth.

She nodded. "You see, at Hogwarts, they divide the students up into houses based on what qualities you possess. Your house basically decides your magical future. Students who are witty and value intelligence are placed in Ravenclaw; Those who posses unwavering loyalty are placed in Hufflepuff; Intelligent students who are mischievous and extremely brave -sometimes to the point of stupidity- are placed in Gryffindor; The last house, Slytherin, is for the resourceful, cunning, and manipulative-those willing to use any means to achieve their goal."

She paused thoughtfully. "I was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin."

"So you two couldn't be friends?" I asked, trying to store away this information about her life as we drove the familiar path towards my house at a much more leisurely speed than I'm accustomed to.

Her tinkling laughter rang around us in the car. I could feel her incredulous amusement. "It's not that we couldn't be friends, its that we _chose_ not to be. In school the names Malfoy and Granger were synonymous with hate and rivalry. We are legends at Hogwarts because there has never been a feud as intense as the one between Malfoy and I. If we weren't exchanging insults we were pulling cruel pranks on one another. As we got older, our fights turned into a twisted battle of wits that we both enjoyed playing. We developed a love/hate relationship. We love to hate one another, but hate that we love one another enough to keep playing."

"I'm not sure if that sounds fun or depressing." I commented.

This time I felt her amusement and a twinge of melancholy. She turned down a driveway about three miles away from my own. "There were far more depressing things in my world than fighting with the Ferret. He was the perfect target for my anger. I think he felt the same way."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. What does she mean there were depressing things in her world that would cause her to be angry? "How so?"

She shrugged and I could see her thinking of a manner in which to answer.

"He was everything I quickly learned to despise in the magical world: A pure-blood snob with a daddy complex who had too much money manipulating anyone and everyone for his own gain. I was everything his father brainwashed him to hate: A know- it-all Gryffindor muggle-born that he was always second best to. I took my anger towards pure-blood supremacists out on him and he took his anger about his entire life out on me."

"That's rather…" I started to comment, but realized I had no words to convey how messed up that sort of dysfunctional relationship is.

"Fucked up? Dysfunctional? I know." She chuckled, finishing my sentence for me with one of my own words. "But it worked for us. It became our way of distracting ourselves from the hell our lives quickly became."

We got out of the car and walked towards the modest two story brick home. Her house, the same one I sat outside of and sent calming vibes to a few weeks ago. Talk about small worlds. At least the pull I felt to come here that night to offer its inhabitants relief is no longer a mystery.

I felt her mood shift from happy to dark and depressing in an instant. Her emotions were nearly like those she experienced during the first week of school. She was walking with me to the door, but something told me she was reliving a bad memory. The topic of conversation obviously needed to be steered away from whatever 'hell' she spoke of.

"Why do you call him 'the ferret'? You did it several times and it really irked him." I asked, sensing the story behind it involved these pranks she spoke of. And hell, I wasn't one to turn down a good story.

My subject change worked like a charm. Her emotions became incredibly amused as she unlocked the door. The mood shift was so sudden I nearly got emotional whiplash. We stepped into a beautifully decorated foyer and she took off her coat, hanging it in the closet. I barely got to glance around the homey bottom story before she grabbed my hand and tugged me up the zigzagging staircase, dropping her keys into a bowl as we passed by.

I was starting to feel rather impatient at her lack of answer, but I figured she was waiting until we got to her room before she told me. She stopped in front of her door and got her wand out. I watched the air shimmer, shift, and subtlety change colors while she waved it in intricate motions and muttered things in another language.

"Sorry. The protection wards are a habit I'll probably never break. Constant vigilance and all that crap Mad-Eye drilled into us."

I shrugged because I honestly have no idea what 'protection wards' are or who 'Mad-Eye' is. She once again took hold of my hand and pulled me through the doorway into her room. I gaped at the sight in front of me. It was like walking into another world. I've never seen a room this unique. Her wrought iron bed was draped in fine silken linens of the deepest purple. Her window seat matched the bedding and near her large, overflowing bookcase was an area made of black, silver, and purple pillows. The walls were a pale, shimmering silver with black diagonal stripes along the walls. Between the stripes were tons and tons of pictures encased in black frames.

I had to fight the urge to run over and start inspecting and asking questions about everything. But if I wanted the story about the ferret I knew I needed to wait to explore.

"Wow."

I felt her pride and excitement. She gracefully fell onto her bed and I hesitantly sat beside her, unsure if she would feel uncomfortable with us both being on her bed. Her emotions didn't shift and she didn't protest, so I relaxed.

"So, about the ferret." I prompted.

She grinned. "Well, it's really a long story, but I'll give you the highlights. In fourth year, Malfoy was upset about a prank Harry and I pulled on him and we got into a bit of a duel in the courtyard. Our defense teacher Moody…"

She paused for a moment then waved her hand in a 'whatever' manner. " Well I guess it would have been the _imposter_ Moody and boy is _that_ a long story…. anyways, Moody was a bit upset about a cheap shot he took and transfigured him into a ferret then bounced him all over the court-yard and into several peoples pants. He has been known as 'The Amazing Bouncing Ferret' ever since. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life…"

I stared at her mouth agape while she giggled like a school-girl. Her entire face was alight with humor, her eyes were dancing. She was absolutely breath-taking when she looked like this. So carefree and innocent. "You're kidding!" I finally exclaimed.

She shook her head and I took the time to analyze her emotions during the story and while there was an underlying humor, she wasn't lying or embellishing at all. I started chuckling. "Wow. So you can turn people into animals?"

She nodded wistfully. "Yeah, that's basic transfiguration…gah I wish I'd thought to turn him into a ferret… it would have been an even better prank then the Ghost of Slytherin because the entire school would have known who was behind it."

"Ghost of Slytherin?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow.

She grinned and laid her head on my shoulder. My arm automatically wrapped around her small form while my hand went to her hair, playing with her curls.

"Oh yeah. At Hogwarts, there are ghosts that inhabit the school - The Bloody Baron, The Gray Lady, The Fat Friar, Nearly Head-less Nick, Peeves, Moaning Myrtle.."

She paused and made a face similar to one Emmett made after deciding to taste skunk blood.

"She is a bloody nuisance that ghost. Lives in the U-Bend of a toilet in the girls bathroom on the second floor where she was murdered. Get's herself in a tizzy at least twice a week and floods the place. Not to mention she told everyone about what happened to me when I added a cat hair to the illegal Polyjuice Potion…"

She stopped speaking abruptly as if she just realized what she was about to say. Her cheeks flushed a red and I felt a ton of embarrassment. Interesting… Something I would have to file away to ask about later when she least expected it.

She hastily cleared her throat.

"Anyways, the point is there are ghosts in the school. Well… my best friend Harry has an invisibility cloak and a map of the school that shows the location of every person and all the secret passageways. You can't even begin to imagine the trouble we got into…Well not the point. So, one night during fourth-year Harry and I were sneaking back inside the Castle from the Forbidden Forest when we saw Malfoy's name right on top of Lavender's. At that moment, I had a brilliant idea for the perfect prank.

Since Harry is a Parslemouth, which means he can speak to snakes like all Slytherin heirs, and we were invisible…well I decided we should create a new ghost of Hogwarts -The Ghost of Slytherin. So Harry and I sneak up on them and I levitate a sword from a suit of armor in front of us while Harry starts speaking in this really deep voice alternating between English and Parseltongue. Oh their faces were priceless. They freaked out… Malfoy took off running naked through the dungeons screaming bloody murder while we chased him with the sword."

She started laughing hysterically from the memory she was reliving in her head while I chuckled, getting a mental picture of my own. "Best prank ever. End of. From that night on, Harry and I kept a lookout on the map for Malfoy. Whenever he was trying to put the moves on a girl we would go interrupt with the Ghost of Slytherin. Two years we pranked him with that - we ruined his sex life for two years! He still doesn't know it was us." She snickered.

I laughed with her, reveling in her good humor. "You were a naughty little witch weren't you?" I teased, tugging on an errant curl.

"Oh you have no idea." She answered with a roll of her eyes. She pulled out her history book, bringing me back to the real reason I was here today. I reclined with my back against the wall and began tutoring her on the subject at hand from memory.

During the lesson, I let my eyes roam her bedroom once more. They were drawn to the many moving photographs on the walls and her desk. They started out on the right side of her bedroom and wound around the wall. The photos seemed to be in some sort of chronological order, as the occupants aged minutely from picture to picture. As soon as we were done, I stood and strode over to the first picture by the door.

Three children are sprawled out on the ground beneath a large tree whose foliage is varying shades of red, orange, yellow, and gold. They are beside a large lake with the turrets of a castle peeking from behind them creating a picturesque scene. The young Hermione with a mass of frizzy curly hair is lying between two boys - one a redhead and the other a raven with startling green eyes- laughing as they toss something between them.

Hermione came up behind me, I could feel the intense waves of nostalgia and longing. "That was taken in first year, just after Ron and Harry saved me from death by Mountain Troll in the loo."

I smiled. "That would have been an interesting way to die."

"Yes, because being clubbed to death by a dirty fifteen foot tall, two ton, scantily clad troll with a serious snot problem would have been the most interesting way to kick the bucket." She retorted sarcastically.

"I see your point." I chuckled as I moved on down the line of photos.

I outright laughed at the next one which caught my eye. There was a young, incredibly angry Hermione punching a young sneering Malfoy with what looks like one hell of a right hook.

She joined my laughter. "That's probably one of my fondest memories. I was already upset and just lost it when he started spouting off at us."

I moved on with a grin, looking at a few of her and her friends or of her friends playing magical games in a circular room decked out in crimson and gold until I came to one where she looked to be at a winter themed ball when she was around fourteen. She looked very pretty with her hair pulled into an elaborate up-do and wearing a modest fuschia gown. Her face was transformed by a radiant smile and twinkling eyes as she was twirled around the dance floor by an older, ruggedly handsome man.

"What about this one?" I asked since she had given me an explanation or story for all of the others.

"That is Viktor and I at the Yule Ball in fourth year." She told me while staring at his smiling face with sad and tormented eyes. I didn't dare pry into why she felt that way. Something told me the answer wasn't something she wanted to talk about.

After that picture I noticed a shift in the people being photographed. Gone were the carefree smiles and laughter of their youth. Instead, the occupants wore half-hearted smiles that didn't reach their eyes. They held themselves as if the fate of the free world rested upon their shoulders. They exuded an air of sadness and wariness… their eyes were haunted, reflecting deep emotional stress and pain.

A group photo containing around thirty smiling faces caught my attention. I scrutinized it carefully noting the same weary, troubled expression on each face hidden beneath a forced smile. I looked back at her with a questioning glance.

"That's a picture of the secret defense club Harry and I formed fifth year when Umbridge took over the school. It's the only existing picture of the DA with all of the members present."

I moved to the next wall where the pictures picked up where the other left off. The emotional turmoil seemed to get progressively worse. I rarely saw one where those being photographed looked genuinely happy.

In fact, the only picture with any sort of positive emotion present was of two people. A man with wolfish features and glowing amber eyes is staring down lovingly at the surprised pregnant woman with spiky bubble-gum pink hair in his arms. Her emotions spiraled into depression, longing, and nostalgia. I could smell the salt of her tears.

"Those are my godson's parents, Tonks and Remus. She was horribly clumsy at the best of times, but being pregnant and waddling like a duck only made it worse. He always caught her before she fell though. She was his everything. She brought light into his life when he felt like he had nothing left to live for."

I pulled her to me in a hug while her tears streaked silently down her cheeks. "It's ok Darlin'" I crooned softly into her hair, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

The rest of the pictures we looked at silently, ending up at the wall with her over-flowing bookshelf. I sat down on the plethora of pillows, pulling her down beside me. My eyes were immediately drawn to the bottom shelf of her bookcase. On that shelf sat about fifteen large, leather bound books with 'Year one, year two…etc.' embossed on the spine until year six after which they aren't titled. Beside each was a sketch pad.

I ran my fingers over the supple spines. "What are these?"

"Sometimes I feel like my life in the magical world has been one grand fantastical adventure…I've been keeping journals and illustrations about it since my first year. "

"So what type of stuff is in there?" I asked, eyeing the journals hungrily…wanting to know all of the secrets contained within their pages. I wanted to know the reason why the people in her photos changed so drastically after her fourth year.

She smiled at them fondly. "Pretty much my entire life story, the good and the bad, since I was eleven. Within those books are tales of my adventures as one third of 'The Golden Trio' and as a member of The Order of the Phoenix."

Ok, This sounds hella cool. I want to read them! "So is this bank-robbing tryst Malfoy spoke of that you apparently received no punishment for in them?" I teased her, still quite amused that a girl who seems so wholesome and good on the outside could actually resort to robbing a bank.

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, it's in the one I'm currently writing in about my last few months in England."

"Well your life sounds interesting. I'd love to read about it." I told her sincerely hoping she would offer to let me read the journals.

Her emotions immediately went haywire. Apprehension, sadness, hesitancy, wariness, and a few others I couldn't identify quickly enough. "I… I just…I can't part with them yet. It's all too raw… too recent… too complicated. I promise you can read them someday, but just not now. I would rather get to the point where I can openly discuss it before I let you read them."

I nodded in understanding because there are parts of my past that I wasn't ready to share either. I still felt rather disappointed. I want to read them.

"That's understandable. There are parts about my life that I still have trouble talking about, but when your ready, I'll be ready." I reassured her.

She smiled and I grabbed a random tome off of another shelf to look at. I glanced at the cover. "_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_." How ironic. Hermione looked at the book to see why I was laughing and joined in. Then she inspected it closer with a wrinkled brow.

"Bloody hell. That's Harry's copy… I must have accidentally grabbed his instead of mine when I was packing up my things at Headquarters."

I shrugged and flipped it open, curious about what sort of Fantastic Beasts this book could point me to. Writing caught my eye on the title page and I snickered.

"What!?" Hermione asked, sitting up so she could see what was so funny. I pointed to the inside the cover.

"This book belongs to: _Harry Potter_" Was at the top.

Beneath it was the following conversation.

"Shared by Ron Weasley because his fell apart."  
"Why don't you buy a new one then?"  
"Write on your own book Hermione."  
"You bought all those dungbombs on Saturday, you should have bought a new book instead."  
"Dungbombs rule."

Hermione joined me in laughing. "I was such a bossy swot when we were little. I can't believe I forgot about the uh…modifications we made to Harry's copy throughout the years."

I lifted an eyebrow in question and she flipped a few pages. We were on the page of Ministry classifications. It stated that the creatures were rated with X's. The most dangerous creatures had an XXXXX rating beside which "or anything Hagrid likes" Was scrawled in messy writing.

"Who is Hagrid?" I asked bemused.

"The Groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor. He's half giant and an absolute sweetheart, but well… he was always cross-breeding dangerous creatures and I won't even get started on the things he thought were cute and kept as pets."

At the last part she visibly shuddered.

"They couldn't have been that bad." I laughed.

She spluttered. "Yeah, that's what you think. You didn't nearly get eaten by a twenty foot tall vicious three headed dog he named Fluffy. Of all things…he named it Fluffy… There was nothing fluffy about that beast. And that was one of the tamer things he kept as a pet."

A three headed dog? Those things exist? What the hell! I guess I would be upset if one tried to eat me too. I'm sort of noticing a pattern here in her life…nearly being clubbed to death by a mountain troll, nearly being eaten by a three-headed dog… she nearly gets killed quite often by the weirdest shit.

"Point taken." I conceded.

She smirked at me. "Anyways, your more than welcome to borrow and read this if you want. I'm sure you will find our additional comments we've added about the creature's we've encountered throughout the years incredibly interesting and enlightening."

"Thanks sweetheart. I can't wait to start." I said, looking at the book in interest.

"We can discuss it as soon as your done, though I imagine the rest of your family will want to read it as well. Now, are you interested in experiencing how I travel?"

I nodded eagerly and an evil little smirk spread across her face as she grabbed my arm. " It's going to be quite uncomfortable and disorienting, but do not let go. If you do, you're likely to splinch one of us and that's rather painful."

She looked at me thoughtfully.

"Well, from what I've witnessed I can claim that it's painful. I've personally never done it, but Ron left part of his hand somewhere in the Forest of Dean last year. Took us ages to find and reattach it."

"Umm…OK." I agreed, wondering how she could speak of such a thing so casually. She acted as if losing part of your body during travel was an every-day occurrence.

Once again, that smirk flitted across her face as she turned on the spot and we were sucked through an extremely tight tube.

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

**A/N: **You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter, it's sort of a filler chapter. Oh and check out my profile. I made a banner of sorts to use as my avatar. **  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

I recalled Jasper's reaction to apparation last night to dissipate my annoyance as I left my Chemistry class. It was positively hilarious. He seemed all sorts of shocked that I'm able to appear and disappear at will. But the best part was that he lost his balance and fell over when we landed in his living room. He was just sprawled across the floor in a disbelieving stupor for approximately two minutes. I don't think Emmett is ever going to let him live that complete lack of grace down.

Of course, after that I had to spend time detailing to all of the forms of magical travel to them. They found our ability to travel nearly instantaneously through time and space via Apparation or Portkey fascinating. Carlisle was like a little kid in a candy store with all of the information I supplied him with. It was nice to see him so excited about it.

Their naivety and views on magic are like a breath of fresh air in a place that has gotten entirely too stale. They are just so entranced by the simplest of things and their reactions are so entertaining. I must admit that It feels good to think of magic in a good context after spending years witnessing all of the horrible things it can do.

I skidded through the door of History, barely missing being late because I was so lost in my musings about magic. The teacher began handing out our tests and giving us instructions for the essay portion just as I slid into my seat. I shot Jasper a smile and quickly got to work answering questions about the Westward Expansion.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Jasper was smugly watching me stretch my cramped fingers. I shot him a dirty look for his little titter at my groan of pain. Stupid vampires and their stupid superior muscles. He adopted a chastised look, immediately taking my hand in his cool one to softly massage the kinks in my muscles. We walked hand in hand to lunch. I was highly sensitive to the fact that his thumb was still rubbing tantalizing circles on my hand. It was…arousing to say the least. It took every ounce of self control I posses not to moan aloud and beg him to take me right there. Judging from his satisfied grin and darkening eyes, he definitely picked up on the emotions connected with that desire.

I sat at the table feeling rather flushed from his attention. Four knowing smirks were directed my way. I just smiled back wanly in return, as if I had absolutely no idea what they are smirking about.

"So Hermione…I've been wondering. Why do you practice magic to protect your mind?" Edward asked with a strange glint in his eye.

So he picked the details mine and Jasper's conversation the other day out of his brain. Typical.

I took another bite of my lunch to give me a moment to think of an easy and appropriate answer. I didn't want to lie to them, but I didn't want to delve deeply into the reasons I practice occulumency either. A general over-view would suffice.

"Well…in the magical world mind reading isn't exactly a rare talent. It is possible for anyone to do it as long as they know the basics. With eye contact and the_ llegilimens_ spell, we can enter the mind. However, we don't just view thoughts or memories like you; We can erase or modify memories and posses or manipulate the mind to do our bidding. Leaving ones mind unprotected for any passerby to possibly roam or manipulate is foolish so I practice Occulumency: The art of protecting and barricading ones mind from intrusion."

That was a reasonable explanation and it seemed to placate him though he still had a somewhat suspicious air about him. It seems he is looking for something wrong with me today. Great.

"So…you could read our minds with eye contact?"

"I could." I conceded, not wanting to lie to them about something so trivial.

"And how do we know you haven't already?" Edward accused.

I frowned, insulted that he could have such a low opinion of me. "Invading a person's mind without permission is extremely rude. I would never deign to break the inherent privacy of the mind without being invited to do so because a person's innermost thoughts are meant to be kept from the rest of the world."

"Well excuse me if I don't believe that for a second." He sneered.

I gaped at him in shock for a few seconds before my temper got the best of me. How dare he insult me when I have been nothing but polite and accepting of him. How dare he question my morals when he barely knows me.

"Listen here Edward Cullen, if I_ had_ invaded your mind, you would have known I was there. You would have felt me slither into your very thoughts. You would have felt me delve until I dug up every dirty little secret you have locked up in there. It would have put you in excruciating pain to have me waltzing around inside that thick vampire skull of yours fucking with your memories. So don't you dare accuse me of performing an act you know nothing about." I sneered indignantly in a quiet voice as I leaned across the table towards him, hands clenched into angry fists

Jasper pulled me back in my seat while the others looked on in shock at my loss of temper. I don't blame them. They've never witnessed that side of my personality before. The sincerity of my words rang clear around the table. Jasper had a low growl emanating from somewhere in his chest and his angry stare was directed at Edward. I can only imagine the types of things he was thinking at him.

Edward's eyes flashed with something…I'm not sure of the emotion, but it calmed Jasper down considerably.

"I'm sorry Hermione, please forgive me. I shouldn't have accused you of something like that, it was inexcusably rude. I'm just extremely unsettled in your presence because my gift doesn't work on you. I shouldn't have taken that frustration out on you in such a manner."

He did genuinely look sorry so I decided to let it slide just to keep the peace between us. "I shouldn't have lost my temper either Edward. Especially when I understand how defenseless you must feel without the use of your gift."

We nodded at one another in silent acceptance of the apologies.

"You…your eyes. They flashed red a second ago." Rosalie stuttered looking between Edward and I in confusion.

I sighed heavily at that revelation. I haven't felt such intense emotions since I moved here. I was hoping I wouldn't feel that sort of anger ever again. But of course Edward had to provoke me and the stupid all seeing vampires noticed that immediately. Now how do I explain this without getting into the specifics of the war or horcruxes without lying?

"My friends and I spent the better part of the past year hunting down some unsavory items imbibed with the darkest magic. Once we obtained them we realized there were only two sure ways of destroying them and neither were easy to come by. So we had to keep them on our person for extended periods of time. The dark magic within them…tainted us… you could say. The flashing red eyes when we experience extreme emotions are a permanent side effect."

Yes…that was a very polite way to say that the most evil soul on earth mingled and tortured our own leaving behind irreversible effects. Just thinking about the explanation brought all of those horrid memories of being tortured by Voldemort's soul to the forefront of my mind. I can remember the horrible feelings and mental images the horcrux produced with startling clarity. I doubt I will ever be able to forget. Those months were the darkest of my life. I was always hungry, cold, and incredibly depressed when I wasn't feeling the irrational anger from the horcrux, going on missions, or fighting in battles.

Jasper placed his hand on my arm, pulling out of the dark place my brain was taking me to.

"So…tell me about more of these pranks you and Malfoy pulled on one another." He requested.

I know he was only asking for the stories to distract me, but I decided to oblige him. I wanted the distraction from taking a trip down memory lane and there were some pretty good ones capable of said distraction. I also promised myself to be more open about my life yesterday. I took a bite of my forgotten lunch while I thought of a funny one to tell.

"Alright, like I told you yesterday we got a little more witty and creative in our rivalry as we got older -our main goal became to humiliate each other in the worst ways possible. Well, sixth year he and I got partnered together for a research project in Potions. For the first week or so, things went rather smoothly considering our volatile tempers. We argued, but for the most part we just ignored one another. However, one evening during our scheduled time in the lab he said something rude about my friend Neville. Well, that pissed me off so I made a rather colorful remark about his father being put in prison. Our insults quickly escalated to the personal sort. He called me an annoying know-it-all mud-blood and I retorted that he was an inbred, vile, loathsome cockroach."

I glanced over to see an amused gin on his face. The others looked extremely interested in where this was going.

"Well next thing I know he has me pushed against the wall kissing me. At first I was just shocked, we _are_ Malfoy and Granger after all. We just don't touch unless it's to inflict bodily harm. As soon as I realized that I wasn't having some screwed up dream and his lips were in fact on mine, I got so freaking angry. I mean…he had just called me a mud-blood which is a_ very_ rude insult in the magical world for muggle borns like me. So I took the potion ingredient closest to me and dumped it on his head. He freaked out because I just so happened to dump mashed lace-wing flies in his hair. Freaking gross, but what made it worse was that the magical properties in them reacted with his hair product, turning his hair hot pink. The color clashed horribly with his pale skin."

I had to stop at this point. I was assaulted with a memory of a hot pink haired Malfoy doing a girly dance around the Potion's classroom and moaning about his hair. He looked like such a fruit cake. I couldn't help my laughter.

"Anyways, he went running off to Slughorn to see about having his good looks restored and found out he would have to wait for the effects to wear off. I'm telling you, if looks could kill I would have turned to ash under his glare. I was freaking paranoid for like a week, convinced he was just going to pop out of nowhere and get his revenge. He took a more subtle and infinitely less noticeable approach than I expected. He engaged me in an argument just before dinner one night then just walked off. I didn't figure out why he gave up so quickly until I had around five hundred people staring at me with wide eyes. When I sat at the Gryffindor table Harry and Ron immediately choked on their dinner, Ginny was a mix between laughter and shock, and when I looked over at the Slytherins- Blaise had fell onto the floor and was howling with laughter while pointing at my head. So I skedaddled to the loo and found that the little prick managed to charm the words _"I love Slytherin cock" _onto my forehead."

I had to stop speaking because there was no way I could have spoken over Emmett's booming laughter. Jasper was gaping at me, probably because I said the word 'cock' so casually. Alice and Rosalie were both giggling like mad. Once they calmed down, I picked my story back up.

"I bet there was steam coming from my ears I was so angry. Harry said they could hear my colorful threats about removing Draco Malfoy's bollocks all the way in the Great Hall from the lavatories. After fifteen minutes I managed to get rid of the charm and I stormed back into the Great Hall with plans of revenge already formulating. You see, that Saturday there was the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Since we are rival houses, it is the biggest and most anticipated game of the season. There would literally be thousands of people there making it the perfect place to humiliate him. I got up early Saturday morning and broke into the Slytherin locker room via the Marauder's map and Harry's invisibility cloak. After a few well placed and quite ingenious charms I made my way to breakfast so that I had an alibi for when the days events started unfolding."

I stopped dramatically. Even Edward was on the edge of his seat now, completely entranced in the story and waiting in anticipation for me to reveal my prank.

"When it was time to head out to the pitch, I made sure I had the perfect seat to activate the charms from. As soon as he and Harry went to shake hands I did a little hocus pocus. Then in front of thousands of people, his Quidditch uniform began flashing every color under the rainbow to match his unsightly hair and on the back where his name and number were, I charmed it to flash _"I give head! 1 Galleon a pop!"_ in huge sparkly letters."

Everyone at the table collapsed in laughter. Jasper and Emmett looked like they would be crying if they were human. I smirked proudly, still basking in the memory of beating him hands down in the humiliation department.

"I just thought I was good at thoroughly emasculating someone. You, Hermione, take the cake in that department."

The bell rang and I gave Rosalie a sweeping bow with exaggerated arm movements in true Weasley Twin fashion "Thank you, thank you."

Jasper was still chuckling and radiating all sorts of good emotions as we walked to class. "Remind me to never go against you in a pranking war sweetheart."

"I'd rather you be my partner in crime Cowboy. Together we could be brilliant. We could become the Bonnie and Clyde of pranks."

He gave me a wicked little grin. "Sounds like the start of a beautiful relationship darlin'."

I returned his grin. "Sure does." As soon as the words left my mouth, he quickly pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss before once again weaving his way through the crowd of students to his next class.

My hand went up to touch my lips in shock. Jasper Whitlock just kissed me and it felt fantastic. Not only that, but I'm fairly certain that the kiss coupled with the previously mentioned relationship means I just agreed to be his girlfriend in the most odd manner ever…

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter is a week late, but I ended up re-writing it several times because I couldn't get it to fit right. I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(JPOV)_

School today had been wonderful. The entire family had finished reading the book about fantastic beasts, so we started asking Hermione questions about it at lunch. She patiently answered our questions and even told us about the time that Hagrid kept a baby dragon as a pet as well as his fascination with the Acromantula colony in the school's forest. On the drive home, I realized it was Friday. Which in turn meant that I wouldn't be seeing Hermione again until Monday.

Being separated from my mate is a daunting thought when I realize that I am already completely dependent on seeing her at least eight hours a day. I'm simply addicted to everything about her. Her scent more so than anything else because it soothes my blood lust and calms me.

Later that evening I was lying upon my bed plucking random tunes out on my guitar in an effort to keep myself from becoming Hermione's new weird and slightly creepy stalker when Alice, Rosalie, and Esme waltzed into my bedroom. I could immediately tell from their emotions that they were up to something. My suspicions were confirmed by the conspiratorial looks they were exchanging. I looked between the three suddenly feeling scared by their sudden appearance in my room.

"Son," Esme started, running her fingers through my curls as she sat on the bed beside me. She was obviously in mother mode and under the assumption that we needed to have a heart to heart of some sort. I put my guitar down.

"Yes Mom?"

"Why haven't you taken Hermione out on a date yet?"

I choked a little, not expecting my relationship with Hermione to be the topic of conversation. "We're just now moving beyond the 'just friends' stage. I didn't think she would be comfortable with going out on a date yet."

The three women shook their heads. Alice and Rosalie were both giving me strange looks of pity. "Jazz, she's a woman. Of course she wants you to take her out on a date at this point in your relationship."

I looked at Rosalie with a quirked eyebrow. "But she…isn't like most girls."

Esme sighed. "She may not be a hormonal teenager, but she_ is_ still a woman. She needs you to show her how interested you are in her. She needs to feel wanted and beautiful…as if your world revolves around her."

I gazed at the three, realization dawning and panic setting in. They were right. I've been so focused on keeping her bad emotions at bay and a smile on her face that I've completely missed the bigger picture concerning our growing relationship.

"You're right. I need to show her how much she means to me. What do I do?"

"You ask her out on a date tomorrow night." Rose responded in a tone that meant she thought the answer was rather obvious."

"Well yes, but what do people do on dates?"

"You've never been on a date?" Alice nearly shouted in disbelief.

"Well…the first century of my life was spent in the Wars. While I might have had sex it was never anything…more. After joining the family I was too preoccupied with controlling my blood lust to worry about dating or anything." I explained with a casual shrug.

The three of them stared at me silently for a moment before they just seemed to come alive. "OK, well in that case you really are going to need our help. Now, what are her interests? What does she enjoy doing?"

I sat quietly for a moment, re-visiting all of our conversations and compiling all of the important facts into a list.

"Well I'm fairly certain she loves music- I constantly hear her humming to herself when she's in a good mood. She loves to read and learn new things. She is a fantastic artist, even if her art is rather macabre. She enjoys going to the beach to relax or think. She confessed she has an addiction to all things chocolate. Astronomy and a class called Ancient Runes were her favorites at her magical school…"

Esme squealed in excitement before I could continue with my list. "I've got it! I've got the perfect idea for a date."

I merely raised an eyebrow in question while making the universal sign for her to explain this wondrous, squeal worthy idea.

"Tomorrow night is supposed to be the best night to view the Orionids Meteor Shower in the Northern Hemisphere. Carlisle and I are planning on watching it together."

"Umm...that's great. I hope you two have fun."

Three sets of topaz eyes looked at me as if I were retarded. Their emotions were ranging from disbelief to annoyance.

"You should invite Hermione to watch it with you. It would be incredibly romantic to watch from the beach. Thus incorporating two things she enjoys doing." Rose explained slowly as if she were talking to a three year old.

"Oh… that…that's a great idea. She would love it," I admitted as my mind started racing off and forming plans.

Alice zipped out of the room and returned seconds later with a phone book in hand. She threw it into my lap without ceremony and her meaning was clear. I would have to call and ask her out.

A quick glance at the clock told me that she was probably having dinner with her family at the moment. It was kind of a relief, this way I would have the time to pluck up the courage to ask her in an environment where I wouldn't have the advantage of my gift.

While waiting, I flipped through the phone book until I came upon the only family with the surname 'Granger' and memorized the number. By seven o' clock I had finally worked out what to say in my head. I picked up my cell phone and hesitantly dialed.

The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

"Granger residence, John speaking." A pleasant voice answered.

Her father, I presume. Damn. I didn't take into account that she wouldn't answer. Best wing it and hope I make a good impression.

"Good evening Mr. Granger, is Hermione in?" I greeted in my most compelling voice.

"May I ask whose calling?"

"Jasper Hale sir."

He paused, probably trying to recall if we've met.

"Just one second Jasper."

I could hear him rustling with the phone as he pressed it against his chest to help block out the sound. "Miranda? Will you let Mia know that a Jasper Hale is on the phone for her."

"Of course dear." She replied. I could hear her walk out of the room and upstairs.

"Just a moment, Jasper, her mother is letting her know she has a call."

"Thank you sir."

The line was silent until I heard several sets of foot-steps approaching accompanied by the one heart-beat in this world that I would recognize without pause. The sound automatically soothed my frayed nerves.

"Hey Jasper!" She greeted, sounding genuinely surprised and happy to hear from me.

"Hey sweetheart. How has your evening been?"

I could envision the soft smile and slight blush that no doubt spread across her face at my endearment. I also heard her foot-steps as she headed back upstairs.

"Pretty good actually. I'm just getting ready to take a nap before popping over to England for a bit."

I felt my good mood fade at the mention of her already having plans.

"Oh…that's a bit of a trip isn't it?"

"It isn't too bad really. International Apparation is a bit more tiring and requires a few stops along the way, but it still takes under five minutes. Much quicker than flying at any rate."

"So you'll be gone for the weekend then?" I asked, trying to mask my disappointment.

"Definitely not." She denied before explaining further. "I took some time away from my duties as a member of The Order of the Phoenix when I moved here. That time will be up on the first of November, so I need to pop over for a few meetings. I'm going to nap until midnight then apparate over. I should only be a few hours at the most."

"Oh…well I'm glad. I was hoping you weren't busy tomorrow." I sighed in relief.

"Really? Why's that?" She definitely had a raised eyebrow. She always cocks it when her voice takes on that smug, interested tone.

"Because I was hoping you would accompany me on a date." I answered honestly.

The line went silent for aproximately forty-five seconds. "A date?"

"Yes, a date." I confirmed, amused at her surprise.

"Well, that depends. What will this date involve?"

I grinned. "You watching the Orionids Meteor Shower with me tomorrow night between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m."

"I think I can do that. How about I apparate over to your place around 9:00?"

"Sounds good to me." I conceded, barely able to contain my excitement or the loud whoop of joy I wanted to release.

"Great. So I'll see you tomorrow night Cowboy?"

"Yep. See you tomorrow darlin'. Sweet dreams."

The moment I hung up I let out that very uncharacteristic whoop of joy and took off downstairs to tell everyone about my date even though they probably already knew thanks to the whole super sensitive vampire hearing we have going on.

The rest of my night passed in a haze of joy as Esme and I meticulously planned what we would bring with us. By the time Saturday morning dawned I had nothing left to do therefore I found myself feeling highly nervous and agitated. The girls ended up sending all of us guys out for a hunt not long after I started accidentally projecting my nerves and agitation- thus causing a massive wrestling match between Emmett and Edward which resulted in them flying through a wall.

We ran up to Canada where we spent the entire day hunting big game. I was in a better mood when we arrived back at the house that evening due to the bear and mountain lion I fed from. Esme immediately put Edward and Emmett to fixing the massive hole in her wall. I smirked at them triumphantly, quietly celebrating the fact that I'm not being punished as well, as I headed upstairs to begin getting ready.

After my shower, I dressed in a pair of relaxed fit jeans and a black thermal with a blue athletic fit band shirt on top - comfortable, yet casual. From there I loaded everything for tonight into my car so that I wouldn't be rushing around when she got here.

At 9:00 o'clock on the dot, my angel appeared in the living room wearing boot cut jeans and a black t-shirt with "Weird Sisters" splashed across it in hot pink writing over a black thermal.

"Weird Sisters?" Emmett questioned with a loud guffaw.

"Yeah, magical band. They're quite good even though the cross dressing thing is a bit creepy." She answered with a shrug as she moved to hug Esme, Rosalie, and Alice in greeting.

I smiled as I watched her easy interaction with my family. It's like she was born to be apart of our coven. She just seems to fit. Once everyone got their hello's I strolled over and took her soft hand in mine. "Evenin' beautiful."

Her cheeks tinted a lovely shade of pink. "Hey."

After a few moments of small talk between us, I began the good-byes. I led her from the living room towards the door leading to the garage. "We got to get going, we have a bit of a drive ahead of us." I explained quietly.

"Have a nice time you two!" Esme called.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Emmett echoed, followed by a resounding crack which I have little doubt was due to an impromptu meeting between his head and Rosalie's hand.

That served to break the slight tension that settled between us and we both started laughing at his expense. Especially when he started complaining loudly about spousal abuse. Another loud bang was heard as we came upon my candy apple red mint condition 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500. This car is my baby- my one pride and joy. I brought it straight off the line in '67 and Rosalie has helped me keep it in fabulous condition since. Due to its rarity, I only drive it on special occasions… the thought of some idiot human denting or scratching it freaks me out.

The pure lust rolling off of her when we stopped by the passenger door surprised me. I glanced over and she was staring at it mouth agape with glazed eyes. "I think I'm in love," She whispered as she reverently ran a hand over the fender. At that moment, I'm fairly certain I was jealous of my car for so easily winning her affections.

"Can't say I blame you." I conceded, opening the door for her to slide inside.

I made use of my vampire speed to zip around the car and hop into the drivers seat. A glance to the right showed me that she was already secured in her lap belt so I turned the key and grinned as the horses under the hood came to life. Silence settled in the car as I manually shifted through the gears and steered us towards the beach.

"How was your trip?" I questioned, looking over at her relaxed face.

"It was good. I had quite a few meetings and such, but I should have no problem getting back into the swing of things." She answered with a smile.

"I am going to miss all of my free time though." she sighed as an afterthought.

"That's good, but why will you miss your free time?"

"The division leaders meet every Monday night, the entire Order meets on Wednesday nights, Sundays are my divisions training sessions, and there is always the possibility of being sent out on a mission. I'll also be swamped with paperwork and training schedules."

"Wow. That's a tough schedule on top of school." I commented idly.

Her emotions stirred and she looked out of the window. "It'll be a piece of cake compared to my schedule the last few years."

She didn't offer up any more information and I didn't ask. I had no intentions of ruining our first date by prying into her life when she obviously didn't want me to. I reached over to take her hand in mine as a show of support and the rest of our drive passed in a comfortable silence.

We got out of the car and she looked out over the dunes with a small smile. "The beach?" .

"Yeah, you said you love coming to the beach so I figured it would be a nice place to watch from." I explained as I unloaded the blankets, pillows, and messenger bag from the trunk.

Her smile brightened. "This is fantastic. I love it."

Her praise and genuine happiness served to calm whatever nerves and doubts were still lingering. She really wanted to be here with me and she really liked the date. I watched in bemusement as she rolled up her pant legs then peeled her sneakers off and followed those with her socks. She shrugged. "I love walking barefoot in the sand."

I just chuckled quietly to myself at her oddity and walked onto the beach. After several minutes of carefully weighing the pros and cons of the area, I decided on a dune that was out of the way of the street lamps with a prime position for viewing the sky. I spread out our blanket and pillows then motioned for her to take a seat with a grand sweep of my arm.

I settled in beside her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder as we looked out at the crashing waves. There were hardly any meteor's streaking across the sky yet, but we were content to gaze at the stars together.

"Do you have a favorite star?" I asked to break the silence. I know she has to have one she likes more than the others since she spent years studying Astronomy.

"Yes. It's that one." She answered, pointing in a general direction of the sky.

I chuckled. "There are quite a few million stars up there, you are gonna have to be more specific than 'that one'."

She elbowed me playfully.

"Sure, sure smart ass. Look just above the horizon on the South East for the brightest star in the _Canis Major _constellation."

I searched the sky with my eyes in the direction she pointed me to for the brightest star because I have no idea what constellation she's talking about. It wasn't hard to find. It easily outshone all of the others in the sky. "Found it."

"That's Sirius, the dog star. It has been my favorite ever since Harry's godfather Sirius died at the end of my fifth year. The brightness and intensity of it reminds me of him. I've never met someone with a personality like his. He was vibrant, passionate, and intense about everything."

"You speak of him fondly." I commented.

"Yeah." She agreed. "He was a great man. He sort of became my surrogate uncle in the time I knew him."

"It must have been hard when he died." I probed, wanting her to open up to me.

She shrugged. "It was. He went out fighting though, so I know he died happy. He always said if he wasn't able to die in the throws of passion or laughing then he wanted to go out fighting for those he loved."

"That's a rather nice way of accepting the inevitable."

She smiled. "Yeah, he was always strange like that."

We grew silent again. Based on her emotions, I can guess she's still thinking about our conversation. She was shivering slightly, so I drew an extra blanket over her legs. Then I pulled out a thermos and filled a mug with some steaming hot chocolate.

Her eyes brightened at the sight of it. "I love hot chocolate."

I grinned, incredibly pleased with myself. "I remember you confessing your love of chocolate, so I brought some knowing it would be cool out tonight."

"Thank you, that was sweet."

I shrugged her thanks off and went back to watching the smattering of meteors fall across the horizon then disappear into the Pacific. The numbers of them increased as the evening wore on.

"Thanks for coming out with the big, bad, vampire tonight."

She smiled wryly in my peripheral vision. "You? Big, bad vampire?"

I looked out across the water. For some strange reason her teasing tone of voice struck something within me. It gave me the urge to warn her about me and how dangerous I am.

"I am you know. I'm not good like the rest of the Cullen's. I've seen and done some messed up things in my existence. My life before I joined the Cullen's isn't something I'm proud of. In fact it's a time I try my best not to think about. I just want you to know that I have only been a 'vegetarian' for about sixty years. I do not wish for you to have some sort of grand illusions about me or anything."

She stared thoughtfully at the sky, her emotions fluctuating as she formulated what she wanted to say.

"That doesn't make you bad Jasper. I'm sure that whatever you did, it was because you had to. It was necessary."

She paused and looked over at me, her honey eyes filled with incomprehensible sadness.

"I'm not good either Jasper. I'm a soldier of the light and that should classify me as good because I'm supposed to be good. I should be a beacon of all that is pure and fair in this world, but I'm not. Recent incidents have required me to perform some morally questionable acts in the name of the greater good. The things I've done…the things I've seen…they haunt me every time I close my eyes. I'm scared of my own memories, but at the same time I'm thankful for them because they assure me that I still have some bit of goodness left in me since I'm capable of feeling remorse and regret for my actions."

She looked back up at the sky, a lone tear trekking down her cheek. I leaned over and gently kissed it away before it could fall from her face. I admit that I don't like what she told me about being a 'soldier' of the light as if she was part of some sort of army, but it explained so much about her emotions. She's fighting demons of her own that somehow stem from her life in the magical world. I hugged her closer to my cool body as a means of comfort for both of us.

"It helps me to know that we're all born innocent. It's how we choose to live our lives that separates the good from the bad. Most of us are good, but to say that evil doesn't exist in this world would be a fucking lie because I've seen it with my own eyes. However, sometimes in our lives we are forced to do things that can cost us that inherent innocence because sometimes those things are detrimental to our survival. Doing those things doesn't make us completely bad as long as we strive to be good in other aspects of our lives."

Never had I heard such words of wisdom and especially not from a human. She was wise beyond her years. I also understood her meaning. Whatever she did, she did it to survive in the same way that I destroyed so many vampires in the Wars to ensure my own survival.

"Thank you darlin'." I whispered.

She said nothing, but I could feel her acceptance from her emotions. We sat staring up at the stars. The sky was so clear that the Orionids Meteor shower was easily visible. I watched as bright balls of rock and other matter flew through the atmosphere and it was a profound moment for me. Tonight, we had both admitted things about ourselves we were ashamed of. With a few words we silently accepted that there were both good and bad things about us.

The hours slipped by and it was after 2:00 a.m. before we both stood and walked back to the car. "I had a wonderful time tonight Jasper."

"Me too darlin'. It was a great first date." I agreed.

We paused at the car and she stepped closer, wrapping her thin arms around my waist. I wrapped mine around her, reveling in the feel of her warm body pressed against mine in such an intimate gesture. She looked up at me after a few minutes with a faint flush on her cheeks. "Call me later on today?"

"You betcha," I murmured then I leaned down slowly, giving her ample time to step away if she wished. Instead, her pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips in anticipation. I wasted no time in pressing my lips against hers in a lingering kiss.

"Go home. Get some rest." I ordered after I stepped away. She gave me a dazed smile, spun on her heal, and disappeared in thin air.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

**A/N: **Sorry about the late update, but I sort of got off schedule last week and I wanted to get back to my usual Sunday updates. You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing! Please let me know your thoughts on this weeks chapter as it is a major turning point for Jasper. **  
**

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(JPOV)_

On the drive back from the beach, the haze I descended into due to her intoxicating presence began to recede. Without Hermione as a distraction, a key point of our conversation throughout the night slammed into me and I had a startling moment of clarity.

Since meeting her I have formed a ton of theories regarding her behavior. Most of them didn't make sense, but I kept them stored in the recesses of my mind anyways. Just in case. Then came her revelation that she was a fellow magical being. With that one little bombshell, most of my theories went out the window and I began forming new ones around that bit of information. I then came up with everything from rape to her being in some sort of magical witness protection program or something equally as outlandish as those.

But not this time. _This time_ I was fairly certain I had finally put the puzzle together correctly.

_"I'm not good either Jasper. I'm a soldier of the light and that should classify me as good because I'm supposed to be good. I should be a beacon of all that is pure and fair in this world, but I'm not. Recent incidents have required me to perform some morally questionable acts in the name of the greater good. The things I've done…the things I've seen…they haunt me every time I close my eyes. I'm scared of my own memories, but at the same time I'm thankful for them because they assure me that I still have some bit of goodness left in me since I'm capable of feeling remorse and regret for my actions."_

**"Soldier of the light."**

That one phrase was like a neon sign pointing out what I had been missing all this time. Her emotions which are always so full of self hate or depression while her eyes glow with an incomprehensible sadness are the same ones I feel when I remember my time in the vampire wars. Her wary attitude, the paranoia and panic, and her extreme dislike of being touched by strangers… those traits that color her every action are some you would find in any battle hardened soldier. Then there are her scars which give her so much character. They are further evidence. They tell a story of someone who has survived a hard life. It's apparent that all of these things are symptoms derived from whatever being a "Soldier of the light" entails.

Snippets from our conversation in her bedroom came to mind. At the time I didn't think too deeply about what was being said, but now her words only served as evidence to back up my theory.

_"There were far more depressing things in my world than fighting with the Ferret. He was the perfect target for my anger. I think he felt the same way."_

_"…I took my anger towards pure-blood supremacists out on him and he took his anger about his entire life out on me…It became our way of distracting ourselves from the hell our lives quickly became."_

The phrase "pure-blood supremacists" stuck out at me for some reason. It's like I was supposed to understand what that meant and why it was such a big deal. But I didn't. Why would being a 'pure-blood' as she described it, be such an issue between them? How did it relate to being "A Soldier of the light"? Why did she describe whatever happened to them as 'hell' and how did it involve the both of them if they were so different?

I growled in annoyance at my confusion. Her emotions were a sort of roller-coaster that afternoon. Depression, sadness, self-hate, longing, happiness…It all depended on what she was talking about or what pictures we were looking at. The pictures were another subject themselves. After her fourth year the people in them lost that spark of life, that childhood innocence.

Her earlier words came back to me.

_"…Sometimes in our lives we are forced to do things that can cost us that inherent innocence because sometimes those things are detrimental to our survival." _

Surely that doesn't mean what I think it does…they were just children after all. They were only fifteen in the first pictures. They couldn't have been soldier's at that age. That's barbaric. But how else would you explain that sort of difference in them? And on that note, who would harm children? Why would they harm children? What would they get out of doing such a thing?

As I pulled into the drive, I did my best to put my thoughts- which had quickly become a circle jerk of indescribable proportions- to the back of my mind. I really did not want Edward picking any unconfirmed suspicions out of my head right now. I was still in shock and confused about everything, no use having someone who is just looking for a reason to hate her making his own asinine assumptions.

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were waiting in the garage when I pulled in. The pixie was literally vibrating in place due to her excitement whereas Rose and Esme were casually leaning against the wall acting rather indifferent.

"Oh my gosh! I couldn't see anything since she was there so tell us everything! How did it go? Was it perfect? Did she like it? Did you kiss her?" Alice squealed as she bounced around the car and opened my door.

I couldn't help but stare at her in shock. I mean…in the name of all that is holy, what an annoying way to end a date. Pixie needs to calm the fuck down and ask one question at a time. She really must have been on a fucking sugar high when she was turned. There is no other explanation I'm willing to consider for this never ending, rapid fire, bouncy personality she has possessed since we met.

Instead of answering, I decided to make her suffer a bit just for bombarding me so quickly. Nonchalantly- as if I never heard her questions- I gathered up the blankets, pillows, and thermos out of the trunk. Esme and Rose were feeling all sorts of amused by Alice's visibly growing annoyance with me. They knew I was purposely toying with her.

"Sooooo?" Alice drawled out as she followed me inside.

"So what?"

"Answer my questions."

"What questions?" I asked, blinking at her as if I were confused.

"Are you going to tell us how it went or not?" Rosalie cut in to curb what would have possibly turned into a long drawn out conversation where I would pretend I have no idea what was going on just to get on the nerves of Little Miss All Knowing.

"If I'm not mistaken, it is incredibly rude to kiss and tell." I remarked as I put everything away at human speed.

Three loud and incredibly girly squeals echoed around the house. Carlisle, Edward, and Emmett immediately zipped into the kitchen to investigate.

"What are you three birds on about now?" Emmett demanded.

"Jasper and Hermione sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Alice chanted, twirling around me in excitement.

"Uh Oh! J-Emo finally got some actionnnn!"

I rolled my eyes at their antics as well as that ridiculous nickname. Carlisle's amused eyes met mine and I had a Days of Our Lives style flashback to when we found out she was a Witch.

_"This tattoo… It means you're apart of the same organization -The Order of the Phoenix- doesn't it?...Please forgive my curiosity, but the existence of The Order of the Phoenix has always been a whispered rumor in Europe's magical community. The list of members has only ever been guessed at… the society's true purpose doused in suspicion and shadow. I know you cannot tell me much, but I would love to know why it exists."_

He was the person I needed to talk to about this. He knew of the magical world and he knew of this 'Order of the Phoenix' she was so heavily involved with. I was desperately in need of an outside opinion to make sure I'm not fabricating ridiculous theories.

Once all of the good natured ribbing from everyone was over and I took a shower to wash the beach grime off, I made my way to his office. He immediately held the door open in invitation when I knocked. Definitely one of the perks of vampire speed is the nearly non-existent waiting time. I took a seat across from him and opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, I stared pensively at a paperweight. He observed me quietly for a few minutes before he took the initiative to start the conversation.

"What's on your mind son?"

I looked up to meet his curious, but concerned eyes. I put down the paperweight and decided to just go for it even if I did end up sounding like an idiot.

"Hermione has been less than forthcoming about her past, it upsets her to speak about whatever happened so I don't push for details. But, well, she said something tonight and coupled with her emotions as well as some other things she's said… I've sort of developed a theory…and I…I'm not sure if I'm getting incredibly outlandish in my desperation to understand her better or if it has some merit."

He placed his chin on his palm and gave me a penetrating stare along with the universal two fingered motion to continue.

"Her emotions and actions remind me of my time in the Wars. They are nearly identical which is something I did not realize until just recently. Tonight she described herself as a "Solider of the light." That's when it hit me…that word…it made everything make sense."

I paused when his emotions turned from curious to realization immediately. "So you see where I'm going with this then?" I muttered.

He nodded and reclined in his chair, his emotions shifting as he thought of how to address this. His silence was unnerving to say the least, but he finally spoke in a calm voice.

"I don't think you are that far off base Jasper. I'm not well versed in the magical world by any means since I only spent a few years there, but during my time I did learn of quite a few things. The night I met her, she admitted that she is a member of The Order of the Phoenix and by her own definition their purpose is to fight for the greater good of the magical world. Rumor has it that The Order is a secret magical society dating back to the age of Merlin who is believed to have founded it. As I said before, it's true purpose has always been doused in suspicion which has caused several theories to pop up regarding it. They have been numerous and some are rather far fetched, but many- such as myself- believe that The Order of the Phoenix is an elite army whose sole purpose is to combat any force who threatens the light."

"OK, that sort of makes sense with the meetings and training sessions she has mentioned." I conceded thoughtfully. "But the light? What does 'the light' mean?"

"Magic, from what I learned during my short time in the community, is classified into three different areas- light magic, gray magic, and dark magic. Light and gray magic are accepted by society, they are the regular practiced forms often known as good magic. However, dark magic isn't. It's highly illegal to practice due to the ill intent surrounding it. Those who practice it become addicted to the power it gives them. Magical history explains that dark wizards have been seduced by that power since the dawn of magic. Powerful dark wizards have the ability to tip the balance between light and dark therefore those who wield light magic are constantly at odds with those who wield dark magic. This constant struggle between the two is why many believe The Order of the Phoenix was formed."

"So you're saying that the light and dark are always at war within her world?" I asked for clarification.

He shook his head. "No, the two usually exist peacefully with one another until a dark wizard becomes too powerful and tips the balance too much. This would be where the Order comes in to remove that threat before it reaches a state of war between the two. Though from what I understand, that hasn't always been possible."

Stunned. That's the only thing I feel. I didn't expect it that her life,_ her history_, would be this complicated and convoluted. I don't even know how to feel about this influx of information. I doubt I ever will since I will never truly be capable of understanding.

"Wow" was the only word that passed my lips.

He nodded his agreement silently. I was still trying to process all of this. Part of me is upset that she is willingly putting herself in danger as a member of this Order because as her mate I'm supposed to protect her. That part of me recognizes that I cannot protect her when it comes to this because I am not magical and it isn't happy about it.

Then there is soldier within me that is incredibly turned on and impressed by this. I mean…my girlfriend, my mate, is apart of an army. A good army, but none the less, an army. She is a soldier…a fighter…and my instincts tell me that she is fierce beneath that guise of innocence she wears so well.

"Judging by her scars and mannerisms, I would wager that they were unable to eliminate a dark wizard and his influence evolved into a state of war between the light and dark." Carlisle commented idly, as if we were discussing the weather and not something so important.

"I think so too." I agreed softly.

Of course, this confirmation of my suspicions brought up a whole new set of issues. How am I supposed to act around her now that I sort of understand her life and her struggles? Do I tell her I know? Do I let her tell me in her own time? Do I just ignore it and act as if I never found out? Do I push her to open up to me? I rubbed my temples in an effort to stave off the mounting tension gathering there.

"What are you going to do now that you know?"

I shrugged at his soft question. "I don't know what to do Carlisle. It's all so confusing. Part of me wants to yell at her and shake her for getting herself involved in a war then demand that she let me rip apart every one who dared leave a mark on my mate's body. But the other parts of me, the soldier and the man, understand that there is nothing I can do but be there for her. They understand that this is not and never will be my battle to fight."

"Those are understandable reactions Son. However, I think you should think very carefully before you act or you could lose her. After all, when push comes to shove, you should trust her enough to know that she will tell you everything when she is ready and she should trust you enough to _want_ to tell you when she is ready."

I couldn't deny his claims. I definitely want answers immediately. Patience is not a virtue I posses in abundance, but then again being forced to bare my soul would make me feel incredibly put upon if it were me. I definitely wouldn't trust or respect the person forcing themselves upon me. And her trust and respect are what I truly crave. I want to her to value our relationship enough to be openly honest with me about her entire life. _I want her to be mine -mind, body, and soul._

"I guess earning her trust has just become one of my top priorities then." I remarked as I made my way out of his sound proofed office.

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

**A/N: **I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36 who has become my Beta and sounding board for this story. This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

_"Harry, this was so stupid! I told you it was a trap!" I muttered to him as masked Death __Eaters __closed in on us from every direction. The way the eerie glow of the __prophecies__ reflected off their silver masks sent shivers down my spine._

_"Now is definitely not the time__,__ Hermione__,__" __h__e seethed, moving so his back was flush with Ron's. Both were cursing quite heavily under their breath._

_I stepped backwards until I was pressed against Ginny. She was trembling with fear. I grabbed her hand and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze. __My wand arm faltered slightly when the Death __Eaters__ accompanying Lucius Malfoy removed their masks. They were all members of Voldemort's inner circle. __All had__ escaped from prison earlier in the year - Bellatrix __Lestrange__, Rodolphus __Lestrange__, Rabastan __Lestrange__, Kristoph Travers, Micah Avery, and Antonin Dolohov. _

_The bad feeling I had about this intensified __tenfold__. There __was__ no way __in hell __that three junior members of the Order and three members of the DA stood a chance against Voldemort's inner circle._

_Dolohov stepped closer to me with a manic grin on his face. "Mmm… a __Mudblood__…" he purred over the insane cackling of Bellatrix __Lestrange__ that was echoing around the Hall of __Prophecy__. _

_I glared at him defiantly. I refused to let him know I was afraid. __Fear may not have been evident in my expression, __but it was there.__Outwardly, I was stoic and defiant, but my thoughts told an entirely different story. They__ seemed to be stuck __chanting a mantra of,__ 'You are a Gryffindor. You are brave. Fear is a weakness and you are not weak. You can do this.' over and over and over again in an effort to quell the growing dread and fear that threatened to __overtake__ my body. _

_Harry used their decision to taunt Neville about his parents to our advantage.__ We attacked. A__ll hell broke loose. As a group we sent out stuners, disarming spells, leg-locks, and full body-binds towards the Death Eaters. They were deflected lazily. Yet we had created a large enough distraction for us to split up. I took off down the aisle in front of me as fast as possible with Luna hot on my heels. _

_I sent any curses or hexes I could think of over my shoulder at the two chasing me. One of Luna's explosions caused a shelf to collapse on the youngest __Lestrange__, thus taking out one of our pursuers.__With less curses to dodge __and__ deflect we were able to make a dash for the exit. Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and I __made it __to the door__ at the same time__, nearly running into each other,__ and fell through __together__. We took off running through the maze of hallways__, which seemed to go on forever,__ and eventually ended up in a dingy circular room._

_Luna and Harry barely had time to question the voices they claimed were coming from an empty archway before we heard the manic laugh of Bellatrix drawing closer. It was a dead __giveaway__. __T__hey were still after us. We exchanged determined, yet grim glances__ and took on a defensive stance__. We wanted to be__ ready for when they entered. __But __nothing could have prepared us for them this time__. I__nstead of walking or running__,__ they were flying __at us __in a thick black smoke. They were moving too fast__. O__ur spells were ineffective against them. One by one__,__ they grabbed us._

_I was being held flush against Antonin Dolohov's wild, dirty, and unkempt body__. He was digging his wand into my temple harshly. __Rodolphus had Ginny in a similar hold, Avery had Luna, and Bellatrix had Neville. The Death Eater's were entirely too smug about this turn of events._

_We were so screwed. _

_Harry and Malfoy were facing off on a raised crop of stone in the middle of the room. Harry had the prophecy in one hand and wand in the other. He continued to point his wand at Malfoy's heart while he was being taunted and manipulated. __All of us, Death Eaters and students alike, __seemed to freeze in our__struggles as we watched the events unfold.__The DA was praying that Harry wouldn't hand over the prophecy. __T__he Death __Eaters__ were hoping he would. _

_My head was yanked to the side forcefully by my __ponytail__, drawing my attention away from the confrontation in front of me._

_"So young and pretty…It's a shame you're a__ Mudblood__." Dolohov whispered into my ear__. H__e ran his wand from my temple down my __cheek __and into the valley between my breasts in what he seemed to deem a seductive manner. _

_"It's been too long since I've had the pleasure of a woman. Mmm…the things I want to do to this body."_

_I felt the bile rising in my throat from both his suggestions and the smell of his rancid breath. It was all I could do not to spew my dinner then and there. He jerked me so that my body was once again flush against his._

_"Do you feel what your filthy little body does to me __Mudblood__?" __h__e rasped, forcefully grinding his hips into my back._

_I cringed. _

_Not a moment too soon, the room filled with a blinding light as Order members appeared. Remus, Tonks, and Mad-Eye __immediately __began firing spells__. They were the __distraction __those __of us who had been captured __needed__. I jabbed my elbow into __Dolohov's__ stomach then whipped around__,__ my wand pointed at his chest. _

_"You. Are. Vile__,__" I growled, punctuating each word with a curse. _

_The pervert just deflected them with a grin, __lips curling back to reveal __his broken and decaying teeth. Then I was moving. I was ducking, rolling, shielding, and twisting to avoid the multitude of curses being flung at me from __the tip of __his wand. Amidst all of my movement, I was able to send a few back, but I was mostly on the defensive__. H__e was far more experienced__, far quicker with a wand__._

_From the corner of my eye, I could see__, with growing dread,__ that the others weren't going to be able to help me. Tonks was dueling her estranged Aunt Bellatrix, Sirius and Harry were __dueling__ Malfoy __together__, Neville and Luna were helping Remus with Avery, while Ginny and Mad-Eye were tag-teaming Rodolphus. I was on my own in this duel._

_Dolohov seemed to come to the same conclusion because his demented grin widened and a predatory gleam entered his eyes. "No __one's__ going to help you__,__ Poppet. You're all mine." _

_I let my disgust show on my face and__, for some reason, my reaction seemed to infuriate him.__ His curses __came__ faster and darker in his anger. I attempted to send my own back at him __as we danced around the room. _

_"Give up,Mudblood. You're a child. You won't win. Even if you make it out of here alive, I promise that I'll spend the rest of my days hunting you down. I won't rest until I see you at my feet writhing in pain… until your dirty, broken body is beneath mine." He harshly bit out at me between curses. _

_His words fueled my determination to win or __to __at least hold my own until more __backup__ arrived. _

_Well, those were my plans until the moment I saw **her. **_

_That demented__,__curly-haired__ bitch got one __up__ on Tonks__,__ who was on the ground trying __desperately__ to stop the harsh flow of blood from her side. __Bellatrix__ gleefully skipped across the room until she was looking at Sirius's back with her frigid blue eyes. __In that moment, time seemed to stop__. __I realized Sirius wasn't aware of her presence behind him. Harry had long since turned to help Ginny hold off the other two__ Death Eaters__ who had rejoined the fight. So it was just Sirius dueling Malfoy. __And h__e was too focused on his duel to notice her._

_I heard more words spewing from __Dolohov's mouth __– __probably another string of curses __– __but I couldn't bring myself to care. I silenced him with a lazy flick of my wrist and yelled out__ to__ Sirius in an attempt to warn him._

_As if in slow motion__,__ he turned his molten__,__ silver eyes on me just as searing pain __overtook __my body. His face contorted __with__ shock and pure horror as he watched me fall to the __grey, stone__ floor. From my new vantage point, I noticed that everyone was __attempting to make__ their way toward me as they fought. But not him. He started running towards me without a care__ for who__ was dueling who. He started running towards me__. Just then,__ a jet of green light shot from Bellatrix's wand at his unsuspecting back. _

_I tried to warn him again in my panic._

* * *

"Sirius!"

My anguished screaming of his name echoed around my room. As it faded, I fell back into my bed, panting heavily. I shakily swiped the tears from my cheeks.

I should have known speaking of him last night to Jasper would dredge up that horrible memory. His was the first death I had witnessed in the war. The memory still haunted me.

But not just for that reason.

I also felt incredibly guilty for his death. I knew I shouldn't hold myself responsible for it, but I did. If only I had stopped Harry from running off half cocked to the Ministry. If only I had called out to Sirius sooner. If only I had been able to yell more than his name in my panic. If only I had taken the opportunity to send a curse at Bellatrix instead of silencing Dolohov.

If I had done things differently then I might have been able to save him.

But that was the thing about hindsight. It was always 20-20. You'd look back and think of a million things you could have done differently. You'd beat yourself up over the choices you had made and how they had affected your life, but at the end of the day, what was done was done. It could not be changed. There were no do-overs or re-writes. In the end, you just had to learn to deal with the consequences of those choices.

My consequence? My conscience.

I had found that having a conscience was near crippling at times - especially during a war. Knowing the difference between right and wrong made it harder to do the things necessary for the Greater Good. But no matter how immoral it may have been, I still did what was necessary. At the end of the day, I spent hours justifying those choices with my belief that I was making our world a better place for future generations. I spent hours justifying my choices in order to clear my conscience.

Of course that didn't really help because the worst thing about having a conscience was that it wasn't afraid to torture you with all of the morally ambiguous decisions you had made in the past whether you recognized them for what they were or not. Having a conscience meant you cared about the things you did or didn't do, even those that were out of your control. It forced you to feel a myriad of emotions. It marred and tormented your soul.

For instance, I felt incredibly guilty because my best-friend wallowed in grief for six months after Sirius was killed, all because I made the wrong choice in the heat of battle. I was ashamed of how I treated young Collin Creevey who wanted nothing more than a few pictures or kind words at the most inopportune times. I hated myself for being so blinded by prejudice that I spoke ill of a man who gave his life for my friends and I. I felt remorse for the lives I had taken to ensure peace in our world. I loathed myself for being incapable of feeling ashamed that I murdered Bellatrix and Rabastan Lestrange. I detested that I still wished to go back and give them the deaths they deserved, ones far more painful then the ones they received. I regretted that my godson would grow up not knowing his parents because they had refused to back down from the fight and I didn't do anything about it.

Sure, some of those things were not my fault and were out of my realm of control. But my conscience didn't care about those mere technicalities. It would always haunt me with its strict sense of right and wrong. The conscience of the human mind recognized no shades of grey and it showed no mercy to its owner.

My conscience would always be the true consequence of all of my actions. No one would ever be capable of judging me any harsher than I judged myself. I believed the emotions and mental torment brought about by my memories were my punishment for all of the sins I had committed. Those self-imposed judgments were my atonement… my own twisted method of repenting to the higher powers.

Moments like these were when being able to compartmentalize my thoughts and emotions was a definite perk of being an accomplished Occlumens. Dividing my brain into seperate compartments with Occlumency barriers was a hard skill to master, but I'd learned that it was well worth all of the grueling hours I'd spent perfecting it since the end of the war.

I literally forced my previous melancholy thoughts into one of the iron clad boxes marked _'DANGEROUS'_ in the recesses of my mind where I'd started keeping my more off-color emotions, rationalizations, and memories from the war locked away. It was necessary. Taking a trip down memory lane… analyzing those things too much would be catastrophic for my mental health. I didn't _want_ or _need_ to think about those sorts of things anymore. I didn't want that darkness to consume me again. Not when I was finally starting to come to grips with my past. Not when I was starting to heal.

Glancing over to my alarm clock, I noted that it was only a few minutes after eight in the morning, which meant that I had barely managed to get five hours of sleep.

Lovely.

With a heavy sigh, I got out of bed and padded into the bathroom for a shower. Afterwards, I applied the usual charms to my hair to keep it from becoming a fuzz ball of epic proportions, then dressed for the day. I headed downstairs as soon as I strapped my undetectable wand holster onto my wrist.

"Morning, Mum, Dad!" I greeted, my bad mood waning as the excitement for the day ahead of me finally sunk in.

My dad lowered his paper and smiled at me. "Morning, baby girl."

I dropped a kiss on his cheek then stopped by the stove to give my mother one on my way to pour myself a cup of coffee. This greeting had become something of a weekend routine for us lately. Mum plated up our hearty English breakfast and my parents then spent the next hour telling me all about their night of dinner and dancing in Seattle.  
"Are you two going to be around today?" I questioned as I helped my Mum clean up.

"Of course. We have a bit of paperwork for the office. Why?"

I paused in my task of loading the dishwasher. "It slipped my mind that I made plans to visit Teddy today when Jasper mentioned that he would call. So I was hoping you would be here to give him my mobile number when he does."

"Of course," she reassured me automatically. Then she shot me a sly smile. "So…how are things between you two? Still just friends?"

I shook my head in exasperation. She had been fixated on my friendship with Jasper ever since Esme informed her of his little crush on me at the market. She hadn't done anything too strange, but she constantly brought him up or asked about him. It was actually a little unnerving to know my mother was that interested in my love life.

"We're sort of dating," I admitted and her smile widened.

"How's that going?"

"He's kissed me twice." I sighed dreamily as the memory of our kiss goodnight made itself known. That man's lips were sinful.

She chuckled knowingly at my expression and nudged me to bring me back down to Earth. "Well, your starry-eyed expression just answered my next question."

In a move entirely reminiscent of a five year old, I stuck my tongue out at her.

"So are you going to tell him about being a Witch if things get serious?" she asked, all traces of teasing gone from her expression.

"Actually…he already knows. He and his family aren't normal. I can't tell you more than that because it isn't my place, but they aren't ordinary Muggles."

She seemed to contemplate my choppy explanation for a few minutes. "Are they magical like you?"

"They are magical, but not in the same way that I am," I explained with a hint of finality in my voice to let her know that I wasn't going to discuss it any further.

"Well, I think it's great that you are giving him a chance. You should invite him over one evening so your father can meet him," she suggested as she walked out of the kitchen.

I sighed. That was another thing Jasper and I would have to talk about soon. Him meeting my family. I made my way upstairs where I shrunk the presents I'd bought for Teddy and put them in my pocket.

"I'm leaving now. Mum, don't forget to give Jasper my mobile number. I love you guys," I said as I came back downstairs and hugged them both.

Shooting one last smile their way, I Dissaparated. I had to make three separate jumps to get to England. The first stop was in Alaska. From there, I quickly moved on to Moscow. I took a moment to rest before I Apparated the rest of the way to Andromeda's cottage just outside of Harwich.

The two story stone cottage had changed little during my time away. It was still beautiful in its simplicity. I took my time noting the changes in the manicured flower beds and lawn as I made my way up the flagstone path. I had barely rapped my knuckles on the ornate wooden door before it swung open to reveal a woman with curly, black hair, striking aristocratic features, and silver eyes. Her resemblance to her younger sister, Bellatrix, would never cease to startle me.

"Hermione!" she greeted, pulling me into the foyer by the hand.

I returned her joyous smile as she led me into her home that was still an odd mixture of both Muggle and Magical life. I took out and enlarged my gifts for Teddy as soon as we entered the sitting room. Then my attention was captured by the baby lying in a play pen. I moved closer and peered down at his happy face. He was so much bigger than the last time I saw him and he was obviously starting to control his morphing abilities. The little tyke was currently sporting tufts of turquoise hair, but his eyes were still the same amber color as his father's.

"He's gotten so big," I whispered to her in awe. She nodded her agreement.

"May I?" I requested, gesturing to him. She merely raised her eyebrow in a manner that clearly questioned why I was even bothering to ask. He gave a gurgle of excitement as I picked him up and I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.

He was just too cute. I absolutely adored this cute little baby. I cuddled him to me and relaxed into the couch. For the first hour or so, I just gazed at him in wonder. He was a perfect mixture of both Remus and Tonks. Eventually the spell was broken when he started crying. A quick check of his nappy confirmed that he needed a change. Andromeda came back into the room and led me upstairs to the nursery where I made quick work of changing him.

"I'm going to miss the little guy when he's gone." She stated with a sad smile.

"You don't have to give him up Andy. I'll forfeit my rights and halt the adoption if you want to raise him." I reassured her as I picked him back up.

She shook her head vehemently. "I'm too old to be chasing after toddlers and teenagers Hermione. I just want to be the Grandmother that spoils him rotten and watches him on the weekend."

She gave me another sad smile before I could reply.

"Besides, it was Remus and Dora's wish that you be the one to raise Teddy if something happened to them. Not me or Harry, but you. And after watching you with him, I can see why they chose you. You're a natural." She choked out, tears streaming down her face.

I walked over and hugged her close, my own tears joining hers. We stood that way for some time- crying and hugging Teddy. I had no problem allowing her to cry on my shoulder because this woman had lost more in the War than most. She had lost her cousin, her husband, her daughter, and her son-in-law. Not to mention the family she lost on the other side. The War took nearly everything from her. I could never begrudge her for grieving for her losses.

It took an hour and a pot of chamomile tea to calm her down. She left to freshen up and I settled in with Teddy. Just as we started an exciting game of peek-a-boo, my mobile rang. I checked the caller ID but didn't recognize the number. I figured it was probably Jasper.

I accepted the call.

"Afternoon Darlin'," his smooth honey voice drawled out the moment the line clicked on. I practically melted at the sound of it.

"Hey Jazz, what are you up to?" I asked in between making funny, surprised faces at Teddy. He gurgled loudly in what I assumed was happiness.

"The usual… playing games with Emmett, arguing with my siblings, and playing my guitar. Anything to pass the time," he replied then paused. I could practically see the way his brow would scrunch up in confusion. "What was that sound?"

"My godson, Teddy. We're playing peek-a-boo."

He chuckled softly. "I see. So is that why you had your mother give me your cell phone number?"

"I'm sorry about that. I was a bit…distracted… last night. It completely slipped my mind that I had made plans to pop over to Andy's today, so I had my mother give you my number," I explained as I lightly tickled Teddy's round little belly.

"No need to apologize, sweetheart," he chastised lightly. Then his voice took on a hint of amusement. "So, your mother mentioned something about you inviting me over to meet your father."

I couldn't stop the groan that escaped. He laughed at my obvious irritation.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. She mentioned it to me this morning when I told her we were dating, but I didn't think she would just spring it on you herself."

He spent the next five minutes reassuring me that it was alright and that he did in fact want to meet my father at some point. That, of course, surprised me, but it made me happy as well because he insinuated that he saw our relationship becoming more serious. He then got distracted by an overexcited Emmett who wanted to ask me something about pulling bunnies out of a hat. I ignored them with a roll of my eyes and continued my game with Teddy. Then something amazing happened. Teddy's hair went from turquoise tufts to little curls the exact shade of mine. I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my mouth at the sight.

That got Jasper's attention back on me, but I ignored his anxious questions and took Teddy in search of Andy. "Look, Andy! Look what Teddy did!" I cried in excitement as I barged into the kitchen- phone still glued to my ear.

She whipped towards me with a surprised expression that turned into one of understanding immediately.

"He changed his hair to look like mine! Has he done that before?" I questioned

She shook her head with a proud grin. "No, he usually sports blond or turquoise. This is the first time he's transformed his hair to match someone's. He must really like you because Dora only sported the bubble gum pink as a baby until she met Lily. Then she always went red."

I held Teddy in front of me proudly knowing that he already loved me enough to do such a thing.

"Theodore Remus Lupin, you just made me the happiest woman on Earth. You definitely inherited the Marauder's ability to charm the ladies. What am I going to do with you when you get older? Hmm?." I cooed at him.

He gurgled happily and his hair went back to its bright turquoise color, but remained curly. Andy and I shared an amused glance before I carted him back to the sitting room.

"Well you please tell me what you're going on about over there?" Jasper questioned, his voice slightly irritated.

"Sorry I ignored you, Jasper. Teddy just transformed his hair to look like a boys version of mine and it surprised me." I explained, still quite giddy.

"What do you mean he transformed his hair?"

His voice was laden with confusion and uncertainty.

"He inherited the rare magical ability to change his appearance at will from his mother. His first major use of the ability came when he changed his naturally blond hair to turquoise. Andy says those are the only two transformations he's been able to make so far. But he just did it again and he made his hair look like mine! I got a bit excited."

"Dude...that's freakin' awesome!" I heard Emmett yell in the background which was promptly followed by a reprimand from Esme regarding his language and a loud smack across the head from Rosalie.

"Hello everyone!" I greeted, knowing they would hear me with their vampire hearing.

Jasper chuckled. "They all send their regards."

Before I could say anything else, he growled " No Emmett!...Go. Away."

I laughed at his obvious annoyance. Once he got rid of Emmett, who was still going on about bunnies, Jasper and I resumed our conversation with ease. We talked for at least an hour and by the time we got off the phone, Teddy was asleep and it was getting late in England. I put Teddy to bed upstairs and sought out Andy to bid her goodnight. She walked me to the Apparation point and gave me one last hug good-bye and sought a promise to visit again soon before I Apparated away.

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

**A/N: **I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36 who has become my Beta and sounding board for this story. This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(HPOV)_

I could count the days it had been sunny here in Forks on one hand. So when today dawned bright and sunny, I was understandably surprised. As much as I loved the sunshine, I couldn't help but hate it as well. Jasper wouldn't be at school due to his sparkling problem. Therefore, after meeting with the principal to give him my fake excuse for doctor's appointments in Seattle on both Monday and Wednesday afternoons so that I would be able to attend my Order meetings. Then I geared myself up for one of those stereotypical Monday mornings where everything that can go wrong _will_ go wrong.

I wasn't disappointed.

Despite the random texting with Jasper, my morning was horrible. First, I had yet another lab assignment in Chemistry with that pimple faced douche. He tried to touch my ass, so I kicked him in the shin. I had two pop quizzes and then went to History only to suffer through a boring lecture without Jasper there. It sucked. I had never realized how much I'd come to depend on seeing his handsome, smiling face. Just knowing that I would get to see him after each class had always been able to make even the worst of days better. I practically ran to my car when the bell for lunch rang. Only the fact that I would soon be reunited with several of my friends put an end to my foul mood.

Once I got home, I parked my car in the garage then deposited my school things in my bedroom. I shoved a handful of galleons into my pocket so that I could stop by Honeydukes and stock up on chocolate after the meeting. Then I donned my travelling cloak and Dissaparated. As usual, I had to make several stops, but I eventually ended up on the stoop of Number 12 Grimmauld Place just as twilight set over the bustling city. I pressed the tip of my wand against the doorknob and heard it click open as it registered my magical signature.

The sight that met my eyes when I pushed open the ornate door was rather shocking. The only familiar thing about the entire foyer was the covered portrait of Sirius' mum. The dusty, dark, and ratty decor that had been present in the Noble House of Black since I had first stepped foot inside four years ago was gone. In its place were light walls, polished hardwood floors, and airy furniture. This place actually looked like a home now.

"Wow," I breathed in awe.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" a familiar voice chuckled from the stairway.

I whipped around to find my best friend's dancing green orbs drinking in my gob-smacked expression with delight. I launched myself at his lithe body with an excited squeal and hugged him close. "When? How? Why? Who? Oh my gosh! It looks amazing!" I exclaimed.

Harry started laughing loudly and pushed me back to look me over. "I gave Ollivander's niece, Michelle, free reign to redecorate this place a few weeks after you left. We only have a few rooms left upstairs before she's finished." He paused thoughtfully then gave me an over the top lecherous grin and waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner."You're looking good, Mione. America seems to be agreeing with you."

The tell tale heat of a blush crept up my cheeks from his intense scrutiny of my person. "Thanks. Come on Scar-Head, let's go to the kitchen and catch up before the others get here," I threw over my shoulder as I pushed open the heavy oak door.

Not long after we took seats at the familiar scarred table, Kreacher appeared with dinner. As we both dug in, Harry regaled me with tales of his Auror training and pranks the twins had pulled. We never touched on anything serious. Instead, we just spent time catching up and enjoying one another's company. It felt good to have my best friend to talk to again. By the time we finished our dinner, the other division leaders were arriving. I stood and made my way around, greeting and hugging all of my comrades.

I took my assigned seat across the table from Harry and in between Hestia and Gweneth for the meeting. McGonagall was at the head of the table alongside Kingsley, and they quickly called the meeting to order. Thus began a long, drawn out discussion of the current happenings in the magical world. Each division leader went around and reported anything new within their department since the last meeting. Once that was out of the way, Kingsley gained our attention with his imposing form by standing and motioning for us to quiet down. We all looked at him expectantly, knowing whatever he had to say would be important.

"As you all know, these past few months, the Aurors have been working around the clock to capture all of the rogue Death Eaters. They have been doing an exceptional job under their new administration and I haven't had to call the Order in yet. However, I feel that may change soon."

He paused to meet each of our eyes with his own to convey the importance of his next few words.

"There has recently been an increase in deaths caused by dark magic. The first ones cropped up in France and from there they have progressed throughout Europe to Bulgaria and into Russia. Aurors have yet to identify the Death Eaters responsible or their motives, but they are working on it. If they are unable to capture them within a week, I will be calling on the Intelligence and the Espionage and Tactical Eliminations divisions to track down and remove this threat before the situation becomes worse," he explained gravely.

Hestia, Gweneth, and I -all leaders of the divisions directly involved- exchanged contemplative glances.

"I would like for the Intelligence Division to go ahead and start putting feelers out in Russia to see if they can find out anything useful for the Aurors," he added as an afterthought.

Gweneth nodded her acceptance of his order and, from my years of experience with her, I knew she was already forming several cunning strategies. The meeting came to an end soon after and she was the first one out of the door. I had no doubt that she was off to put several surveliance tactics in motion. One by one, everyone left until it was just Harry, Kingsley, and I in the kitchen. We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, each of us lost in thought about this perceived threat.

"Ron and I are meeting up for drinks, would you like to come?" Harry offered as we made our way out of the kitchen.

"Not tonight," I declined politely. "I'm going to go by Honeydukes before they close."

He gave me an understanding smile, then hugged me and kissed the top of my head before he went upstairs to grab his cloak.

"Hermione," Kingsley called out as I stepped into the foyer.

I paused at the old ornate door and looked at his dark handsome face over my shoulder. "Yeah, Kingsley?"

"Do you mind if I accompany you to Honeydukes?"

He looked slightly nervous, but there was a bit of hope shining in his eyes. My curiosity was piqued by his obvious ulterior motive to getting me alone.

"Sure. I'll see you there," I answered before Disapparating.

Around thirty seconds later, I arrived at the Apparition point in Hogsmeade. Kingsley arrived seconds behind me. The brightly robed authority figure extended his arm in invitation and led me down the snow covered streets towards the brightly lit candy shop. The silence was comfortable, but I could feel him thinking. He was trying to figure out how to broach whatever subject had prompted him to request a private audience with me.

"Just spit it out Kingsley," I sighed in exasperation.

He chuckled loudly at my forward attitude."Your time in America definitely hasn't affected your bluntness, Kitten."

I rolled my eyes at both his statement and that annoying nickname while I motioned for him to continue with my hand.

"As you know, I've been doing a complete overhaul at the Ministry. I've been firing incompetent employees, pushing new laws, repealing ridiculous laws, and re-working departments... I've basically been on a mission to change our government one department at a time. I've also been putting people I can trust into each department as an effort to stave off the back alley, dirty politics that were present during the War. I've got the major departments, such as the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and the Department of Mysteries, sorted out so now I'm ready to move onto another one.

"My next target is the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I plan on re-building it from the ground up because - quite frankly - their policies and views are extremely out-dated and rather ineffective. "

We had stopped walking as he spoke. I looked up at his serious face and met his dark eyes with my own to let him know he had my undivided attention. I nodded occasionally to show that I was following him and agreeing with his assessments even though I was seriously wondering where he was going with this and how I fit into it.

He took a deep breath. "I've appointed an amazing American Witch named Alyssa Kent as the head of the department and we want you to become her second in command, sort of like her under-study and advisor. We need someone as brilliant, caring, and passionate as you in there pushing for species rights."

I gaped at him. "You're kidding," I finally managed to choke out.

He shook his head solemnly. "I'm not. So far you have refused every Post-War job offer made you and I'm hoping you won't refuse this one. _We need you_."

"Wow," I breathed and continued walking towards Honeydukes in silence

He let it be and fell into step beside me. He knew me well enough to know that I was thinking over everything. Of course I was! This was like a dream! It was a job I'd always been interested in having since I'd formed S.P.E.W. back in fourth year. Granted, I always assumed I would start out at an entry level position and work my way through the department, but who was I to complain? The only thing that would suck was that being offered a position so high ranking was insane and bound to wreak all sorts of havoc with the older employees.

"I'm definitely considering it, Kingsley. It's an amazing opportunity. How about we discuss it more in depth Wednesday?" I conceded as I stepped into the store.

Once inside, I inhaled the heavenly chocolate scent deeply. This sweet-shop brought back so many memories of my youth. All the memories were of better days when I was scolding Harry and Ron for eating so many sweets or we were sneaking out of Hogwarts for a little mischief via their cellar.

"That sounds acceptable. I'll bring all the information with me on Wednesday. Now, let's get over to that Chocolate Frog display. I hear they've added some limited edition cards to their collection for the holidays," Kingsley remarked, striding in that direction, his lavish purple robes billowing behind him.

I shook my head and followed. Boys will be boys. He loaded his magical basket down with them eagerly while I only put a few in mine. Chocolate Frogs weren't my favorite candy. I found the hopping sensation completely odd, but I figured I might get a decent gross out reaction from the vampires by eating one in front of them. I wandered down some other aisles, picking up candies of interest such as Honeyduke's Best Milk Chocolate and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans. My basket was quite heavy by the time I made it to the aisle dedicated to lollipops. Thoughts of Jasper and the Cullen's filled my mind the moment I saw the crimson Blood Pops.

They would love these and eating candy would definitely help make their human charade more believable. I quickly scanned the display for a hint of what type of blood they were made from. They were likely to ask after all. As soon as I saw the label claiming them to be made of Dragon's blood, I decided to take the lot of them. I piled four boxes of fifty into my basket, whistling a happy little tune. This gift gave me a legitimate reason to pop over to the Cullen's and see Jasper tonight.

"Uhm....I never knew you loved those things so much, Hermione," Kingsley commented.

I looked up to see this strange mix of amusement and disgust on his face, and I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped.

"I don't. They're a gift for some vampires," I clarified.

His raised eyebrow meant that wasn't an adequate explanation. I was expected to elaborate. I sighed.

"I might have befriended a coven of animal drinkers when I moved to Forks. They are... quite the intriguing bunch. I rather enjoy spending time with them."

His skeptical look faded and a small smile formed on his face. He broke out into a deep chuckle. "Only you could manage to move to a remote town in a different country and _befriend_ a coven of vampires, Hermione. "

I joined in his laughter, relieved that he was taking the news so well. If this were Ron, he would have lost it at the word 'vampires' and started building a pyre to roast them on.

"Tell me about it. I'll have to introduce you sometime soon."

He nodded. "I'd like that."

We both stepped up to the counter and the cashier rang us up. I ended up spending twelve galleons on junk food, though a large portion of that went towards the Blood Pops, which were two galleons a box. As we made our way out of the shop, Kingsley placed my hand in the crook of his arm and took my bag from me despite my protests. He simply gave me a stern look that let me know he wouldn't take no for an answer. He was a pure-blood after all. Such gentlemanly behaviors were ingrained into him since birth.

Just as we reached the door, the bell over the top of it jingled to signal someone entering. I looked up to see none other than Marietta Edgecombe stepping inside. I immediately noted that she was wearing her hair in a fashion that required bangs so that she could cover the unsightly blemishes on her forehead. She paused the moment she recognized me and shot daggers at me with her eyes. I didn't respond or glare back. I had no desire to make a scene. Kingsley and I moved to step around her, but she stepped in front of me.

"Granger," she sneered.

"Edgecombe," I replied back in the most neutral voice I could muster.

I moved to step around her again, but once again she cut off my movement.

"So this is why you've been hiding. You didn't want people to know that you were screwing the Minister. Secret's out now, honey."

The slight stiffening of Kingsley's muscles told me he was just as offended as I by that slight against our character.

"Minister Shacklebolt and I are simply good friends, not that you would know what friends are, Edgecombe," I bit out.

She laughed. The bitch fucking laughed! It sounded like nails being drawn across a chalkboard.

"Please, Granger. I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled me," I stated with a sickeningly sweet smile.

I felt Kingsley's arm shake slightly beneath mine, meaning he was attempting to hide his laughter. She did walk right into that one after all.

"You're a tramp, Granger. Always have been, always will be. You'll sleep with any man as long as his bank account is large enough," she sneered, shaking in fury.

I rolled my eyes and deadpanned, "Pot, meet kettle," as I stepped around her.

Before I could react, her fist smashed into my face and she was on top of me.

"You bitch!" I screamed in fury, expertly blocking her next punch.

My vision went red. I wrapped my legs around her waist and flipped us so that I was on top of her. Straddling her hips gave me the perfect position from which to commence my ass kicking. I punched her back as hard as possible. Then I pulled the bitch's hair and slammed her head against the hardwood floor before I punched her again. Somewhere in between hits, I felt her clawing at my arms and face, but I ignored her pitiful attempts to dislodge me. I could hear a crowd gathering just as two strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. I struggled against them. I wanted to finish the job. I wanted to finish beating that bitch into a bloody pulp.

"Hermione," Kinglsey barked in warning.

I growled softly, but stopped struggling. It was futile anyways since he was so much stronger. The moment I stopped, he picked up our bags and roughly pushed me through the crowd and out into the cold night air. I tried to go back inside once he was distracted, but he grabbed my arm and proceeded to drag me to the Apparition point. Once we got there he shoved my bag into my hands.

"Go home."

The stern set of his mouth and the anger in his eyes let me know that his words weren't a suggestion. They were an order. I also knew that he wasn't stupid enough to leave just yet. He would be waiting right here for me just in case I decided to come back and finish the job. I gave him a jerky nod and Dissaparated on the spot to Moscow, and then to Alaska. But once I got there, I decided that I didn't want to go home. I was too bloody pissed to go home to an empty house. It would be too tempting to go back to England and hunt Edgecombe down.

The reaction when I landed in the middle of the Cullen's living room would have been hilarious if I hadn't been so furious. Edward stood from his piano bench, Jasper threw his guitar from his lap and stood, and Emmett let his X-Box controller fall. All three were looking at me with darkened eyes and were deathly still.

"Hermione? Why are you covered in blood? Are you hurt? What happened?" Carlisle questioned as he appeared in the living room in full on doctor mode.

I noticed the others had yet to breathe and his words brought my attention to my current state. My hand was covered in blood, obviously not my own, and there was also some on my shirt that I imagined was my own. Okay, so maybe going to a house full of vampires while_ covered in blood _wasn't my best idea. I held up my hand to stop him from poking and prodding me.

"I got this. Anyone got a mirror?" I huffed angrily as I started removing the blood from my body with my wand.

A small compact came sailing at me from the direction of the kitchen. I caught it deftly and immediately flipped it open. When I got a good look at the damage to my face, I grimaced. After siphoning away the blood that had poured from my nose, I found that it was obviously broken. That meant I would be sporting at least one black eye for a few days. I also had several claw marks on my cheek from where she had tried to push me off of her. My nose snapped back into place with an audible crunch and a mild healing spell took care of the marks on my cheek. Another wave of my wand removed the smell of fresh blood from the air.

"You guys can breathe again. The blood's gone." I said, flexing my hand to make sure I didn't break any bones in it from punching her face.

"Did something go wrong at your meeting? Why were you hurt and why are you so fucking pissed?" Jasper questioned immediately as he appeared in front of me and began inspecting me for further injuries.

"My meeting was fine and I'm like this because I got in a fight," I stated simply and waved him off.

Esme sighed heavily and muttered something along the lines of 'children' as she came into the room and sat in a chair. Everyone else took seats and were just staring at me.

One of Jasper's perfect blonde eyebrows quirked up. "With who?"

"Marietta Edgecombe. The stupid cunt just can't keep her mouth shut," I sneered, clenching my fists as a fresh wave of anger rolled through my body. I really wanted to go back and finish teaching her a lesson.

"About?" Emmett prompted as he scooted closer, giddy as hell at this turn of events.

"Anything! It's just physically impossible for that bitch to keep that cum receptacle she calls a mouth shut!" I practically yelled as I threw my hands up in the air in my annoyance.

If they were shocked by my outburst, it didn't show. If anything, they all looked incredibly interested and amused.

"So what did she say?" Rosalie prodded.

"She accused me of sleeping with Kingsley! She yelled that I was sleeping with the Minister of Magic in the middle of Hogsmeade! The man is old enough to be my father and has been my mentor since I was fifteen-years-old. It was extremely offensive, but I didn't want to make even more of a scene so I let it go. She didn't. She started... insinuating things about the past and when I threw it back in her face she sucker punched me. Edgecombe wanted a fight, so I gave her one. The crazy bint is lucky that Kingsley pulled me off of her when he did. Her face was looking pretty gruesome."

I paused after my little rant and a twisted feeling of satisfaction came over me. "Apparently she needed another physical reminder of what happens when you fuck with me."

Seven eyebrows rose in perfect synchronization. "Another physical reminder?"

I smirked proudly and took a seat beside Jasper who had begun radiating calm at me.

"You see, Marietta Edgecombe has a rather... fetching... set of pimples on her forehead. In fact, they're huge and spell out the word 'SNEAK'. That way everyone knows that she isn't to be trusted. She's tried for years to convince me to remove them, but I figure if I have to live with the words 'I must not tell lies' carved into my hand due to her cowardice and lack of loyalty, then she can spend the rest of her life with that on her forehead." I explained matter-of-factly as I opened my shopping bag.

The room was silent for a few moments. The only sound was me rustling around inside of my bag and pulling out sweets. Then Emmett's loud guffaws sounded around the room, followed by everyone else's melodious laughter.

"You really are a naughty little witch," Jasper whispered in my ear.

His cool breath fanning out against my neck sent a shiver of desire down my spine. I turned and pressed my lips against his in a chaste kiss. "I told you Cowboy, you have no idea."

Laughter rumbled from deep within his chest as he roped an arm around my shoulders to pull me against his side. "You did. Now tell me what you have in that bag."

I grinned up at him and pulled out the four boxes of Blood Pops. "Presents," I stated, handing one over.

He looked at the non-descript box and opened it up to reveal the crimson suckers inside. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Try one," I urged eagerly.

He picked one up and opened it cautiously, as if it might harm him. I rolled my eyes in exasperation when he slowly brought it to his lips. His pink tongue darted out for a tentative lick and he moaned softly. The sound went straight to my core and made my knickers a little damp.

"What is it?" he asked with a knowing, devious smirk regarding my state of arousal.

"A blood pop. They're candies made from dragon's blood. I saw them and thought of you guys."

He stuck the sucker into his mouth and threw a few out to his family. Each of them quickly unwrapped theirs and started eating it. Their groans of appreciation were all the thanks I needed. While they were preoccupied with their snack, I dug back inside my bag and pulled out a chocolate frog. As soon as I removed the ribbon from the box the stupid little frog hopped onto Jasper who screeched in surprise.

"That sucks. They've really only got one good hop in them," I muttered as I caught it by the leg and took a bite.

Jasper and his family were all looking at me with varying expressions. "That...that isn't a real frog is it?" Alice questioned, clearly grossed out.

I barely contained my snicker of satisfaction at their expressions. Their disgusted expressions were so much better than I imagined.

"No, it's chocolate molded into the shape of a frog and charmed to hop," I clarified as I took another bite.

While I finished the treat off, I looked down at my card and promptly dropped it in my surprise. Staring up at me were two scowling obsidian eyes framed by lank black hair. I quickly shoved it back into my bag of purchases. I have no desire whatsoever to look into the haunting eyes of Severus Snape. Jasper gave me a long searching look. I have no doubt he felt the automatic guilt, self loathing, and sadness just one glance at those eyes caused me.

With a sweet smile he pulled me to my feet by the hand and led me out of the living room. "Sweetheart your face is swelling up and you have one hell of a shiner formin'. Let's go take care of it."

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter is a bit late, but both my beta and I had long weekends so it took awhile to get it posted. I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

_(JPOV)_

Emmett and I were playing Modern Warfare 2 as we waited for Hermione to show up from her Sunday training session to hang out with us. Today marked the end of her first week back acting as an active member of the Order of the Phoenix. I had been worried about how she would react to rejoining her world at first, but I had to admit that my concerns were pointless. She really seemed to be happier, if a bit stressed, now that she was returning to England and to that part of her life. I'd realized that being back amongst her friends had definitely had a positive impact on her well being. We were finally getting a real peak at the powerful woman hidden beneath her cold, sorrow-filled mask.

That had never been more apparent than on Monday. She had just appeared in the middle of our living room without any sort of warning, covered in blood and fucking furious. Out of habit, I had stopped breathing at the sight of it even though I knew I would never be capable of harming her. However, no one else in my family had as powerful a connection to her as I. Emmett and Edward's blood lust had surfaced with that one small whiff they had instinctively taken. I had nearly lost all the vestiges of my sanity. It had only been my concern for her well being that had kept the God of War from coming out to play. Hell, he had already unchained himself in preparation for unleashing an ass-kicking unlike any ever seen before the moment he'd recognized his mate was hurt. But when his _brothers'_ desire to drain his mate had registered on his radar, he had begun cracking his fists and devising the most painful forms of torture imaginable. And Hermione's anger had only fueled the demons' thirst for vengeance. A long, vicious growl had been the only warning Edward and Emmett had gotten to reign that shit in.

My emotions hadn't begun to calm down until she had put herself to rights in the most nonchalant manner ever (without our assistance or feeling any sort of fear at all, mind you). I hadn't been capable of completely reigning in that darker side of my personality until she'd put my concerns to rest. Once she'd assured us that she had only been in a fistfight, which had been surprising in itself, my perfect vampire memory had then taken a few seconds to recall how she had looked as she'd appeared out of thin air.

It had been a fucking sight to behold.

There my angel,_ my mate,_ had been, standing before me with this dark, addicting power crackling in the air around her and literally pulsing in shimmering patterns along her exposed skin. Every muscle in her lithe little body had been tense, her tiny fists tightly clenched, and her eyes flashing between honey brown and crimson with unbridled rage... all while being covered in the most stimulating substance known to vampires. It had possibly been the most erotic sight I'd ever witnessed in my entire existence. She had looked like an avenging goddess preparing to release her wrath on those who refused to bow down and acknowledge her superiority.

Peter had once explained that he had bestowed me with the title 'God of War' because of the striking image I made standing in the center of the battlefield, chaos and destruction surrounding me as I released my fury upon all of the poor souls who dared challenge my army of vampires. Well, if that was an apt description for how I looked, then the powerful woman who had stood before me could only be the Goddess to my God. If this was how she looked and felt after a fist fight, and if my suspicions about her past were correct, then I could only imagine how she would look on a magical battle field. If I had ever once doubted that I was truly destined to be mated with a mortal being... I sure as hell didn't now. Hermione and I were like two halves of a whole. We were meant to be together. It was fated for the God to find his Goddess and for them to walk side by side for the rest of eternity.

And when she opened her mouth to answer our questions? Well, her answers certainly brought me out of the hard eye-fucking I'd been discreetly giving her. Words like _"cunt",_ _"cum receptacle", _and_ "fuck" _were not ones I had ever fathomed casually falling from those beautiful lips. The filthy words rolling off of her tongue as fresh waves of anger poured from her body had nearly caused me to cum in my pants.

I couldn't help but resent my stupid, overly large brain and perfect memory now because every time I was around her I had a never ending hard on. I was a grown ass man! A grown ass vampire! I shouldn't be reduced to reacting like a little tween stealing his first glimpse at a set of titties in a nudie magazine every time I got a glimpse of this petite woman.

"Dude! Stop imagining all the dirty things you want to do to Hermione and reign in the lust!" Emmett growled with a very hard smack to the back of my head.

"Speak of the minx and she shall appear," I muttered as that glorious orange blossom scent entered the room. I turned away from the T.V. to find Hermione removing a large black cloak that was lightly dusted with snow. My eyes traveled from the black combat boots on her feet, over the black cargo pants that hugged her ass in the most delicious way, and across the tight black tank top that just barely brushed the waistband of her pants. I growled lustfully in appreciation for the dark, curly haired alluring woman before m

She met my eyes and smirked. "See something you like, cowboy?"

"No, I see something I love," I corrected as I blatantly allowed my eyes to roam over her body again.

Her lust spiked and I was about to get up and make off with her to a more private venue when Rosalie came in from the garage. She pranced over and hugged Hermione close while giving me an evil little grin over her shoulder. "Down, boy," she purred, feeling quite pleased with herself for managing to cock block me.

Alice, Carlisle, Edward, and Esme were all suppressing grins as they came into the room. Based on their expressions, I figured they found my current predicament amusing. Fuckers. While Hermione greeted everyone, I took the liberty of thinking of the nastiest images imaginable to rid myself of my perpetual hard-on I'd been sporting. Luckily, it was gone by the time she took the open seat beside me on the couch. I stopped shooting dirty looks at Rosalie and kissed my angels forehead with a smile. Upon contact with her skin, I was able to feel all of her emotions more clearly. Wariness, worry, anger, annoyance, contemplation, confusion...

"Is something wrong?" I questioned softly, afraid she was feeling those things towards me or the family.

She shook her head. "I've just had a trying day is all."

"How so?" I asked as I passed my X-Box controller off to Edward.

"My division is one of three that have been given an assignment directly from the Minister of Magic. I can already tell it's going to be one of those with surprises and complications at every turn. On top of that, I had to punish a few individuals for thinking it was alright to slack off." She sighed in exhaustion, laying her head on my shoulder.

"I see. So what sort of punishment did you give them?"

Images of whips, chains, and hand-cuffs along with that memory of her covered in blood immediately assaulted me as I spoke the word 'punishment'. Fuck! I just gave myself _another_ hard-on. Think of two wrinkly old people going at it...no...no... Emmett doing ballet while dressed up in Dr. Frank N. Furter's drag costume from _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_! Fan-fucking-tastic. I just scarred myself for life. Edward looked away from the T.V. long enough to shoot me a disgusted look that screamed 'Thanks for sharing the love brother.'

"I made them run an extra mile after we finished doing tactical exercises," she explained quietly, cutting off my creepy-most thoughts.

"That doesn't sound too bad. It was just a mile," Alice remarked.

Hermione lifted her head slightly and smirked across the room at her.

"Yeah, a mile where they had to dodge, roll, jump, shield, counter, and deflect every curse the simulation dummies sent towards them. It's not easy to think on your feet clear enough to properly identify, shield, or counter each curse coming at you when you are running. If they were hit by a curse, then I made them to do it over again until they managed to come out unscathed. I think I got my point across."

I felt everyone's respect for her raise a notch due to her hard-ass attitude and because of the point she'd made. That definitely didn't sound like it would be easy for a human. It actually sounded rather challenging. No wonder I could feel the fatigue pouring from her body. On that note, I decided that it was time for my woman and I to have a bit of alone time. "You're exhausted. Let's go relax in my room," I suggested as I pulled her up from the couch.

She allowed me to lead her upstairs at a human pace to show her where I spent ninety-five percent of my time away from her. As we approached the door, I became nervous for the first time in a long while. What if she didn't like how I lived? Her room was extravagant and interesting, and...magical compared to mine. As I turned the handle, her anticipation and excitement increased, which rubbed off on me and helped overshadow my fears.

As we stepped into the room, I tried to view it from her perspective as her awe washed over me. Three walls were a pale jade green while the fourth was a floor to ceiling window with a magnificent view of the forest. My large bed was situated in the center of the room and looked out towards the forest. It was made of a deep cherry wood that matched my over-flowing book cases and night stands. The rich color provided a sharp contrast to my pale walls. She gazed around, taking in every detail before she moved to examine the photographs and concert memorabilia placed around the room on my walls and shelves.

She stopped at one particular black and white photo that was so faded and grainy it was hard to make out the details clearly. My angel picked it up to study closer. I ghosted behind her to look at the picture. It was of me as a young boy standing with my parents and younger twin sisters. "That's my family… I don't remember their names, but I remember their faces. I remember how much I loved them," I whispered.

She smiled sadly. "I have heard that human memories are lost with the expansion of the brain if they are not thought of during the change. It's a pity that so many vampires are changed without any knowledge of what they are to become. If they had only known, they would have retained their memories. I cannot imagine now it must feel to enter eternity without the ability to clearly remember your previous life."

I could feel how much she sympathized with me, as well as how upset my lack of memory made her. I refrained from commenting since I wasn't exactly sure how to respond. She moved on to another picture. A genuine smile spread across her face, erasing her previous sadness. "And this one?" she whispered.

I looked down at the photograph of myself decked out in a Confederate uniform astride a horse. It was uncanny how greatly I still resembled my human self. The venom hadn't changed all that much about my appearance like it did to most. It had remodeled and revamped my personality more than anything. I had transformed from a charismatic man to an empathic vampire with an inner demon that wanted to do nothing but wreak havoc on the entire planet.

"That was taken the day I got promoted to Major in the Confederate Army. To this day, I am still the youngest major in American Military History. This is actually the last picture ever taken of me as a human. I was bitten nearly three months later when I was evacuating Galveston."

Awe rolled off of her as she carefully placed it back. The significance of such a picture was not lost on her. That was the last bit of my humanity captured right there in that faded black and white photograph. It was hidden somewhere within those varying shades of gray.

She wandered towards my book case and began reading the titles housed there avidly. I must confess that most of them were tomes about war and strategy, but there were a few classical novels as well.

"I may have to borrow some of these," she mused, surprising me with the hunger in her eyes as they lingered on Sun Tzu's _The Art of War._

"Anytime, sweetheart," I assured her fondly.

My mate always had a constant thirst to learn new things and I found it so incredibly endearing. She gave me a brilliant smile and I felt my heart melt just a little bit more for this beautiful creature in front of me. I slowly took her into my arms and hugged her close, pushing my happiness and adoration upon her. The feel of her body pressed against mine was divine. Her smell intoxicating. I breathed her in, hoping to make her scent a part of me. I purred loudly as I felt her contentment and a few wisps love wash over me in response.

She looked up at me from beneath her long eyelashes in an unconsciously alluring manner. After a week of restraining myself, that look was my undoing. To see a creature so deceptively innocent do something so sensual nearly brought me to my knees with longing for her.

I gently swept my thumb across her cheek, paying special attention to the faint scars there I had yet to learn the origin of. I met her eyes with my own, which I was sure were darkening with desire by the second. I slowly lowered my mouth towards hers, giving her ample warning to pull away if she wanted. Instead, her desire crashed into me as encouragement. I gently brushed my lips across hers in yet another chaste kiss. The hum of satisfaction I felt from one small action nearly sending me over the edge. I was finally going to passionately claim a part of my mate- even if it was only her lips.

Our lips molded against one another, moving in a slow, sensual dance. One pair as hard as stone and the other softer than the finest silk. The heat from her lips seeped into mine as she pressed against them more urgently. That sharp contrast in our body temperatures was possibly the most erotic feeling I'd ever experienced in my existence. Somehow, I knew that the only feeling which would ever top it would be when I could feel her hot naked body sliding along my cool stone one in the throes of passion.

I backed us towards my bed and fell onto it with her body lying flush on top of mine. I darted my cool tongue out to taste that heavenly crease between her full, pouty lips… begging permission to deepen our kiss. She obliged my request by opening her mouth for me. I moved my hand to fist her silky curls and pull her face closer to mine.

I immediately delved my tongue into her hot, wet mouth. She tasted absolutely divine. Better than any blood, human or animal, that has passed my lips. Her tongue intertwined with mine to play a game of cat and mouse as we fought for dominance in the kiss.

She submitted to me and allowed me to control the intensity. I kissed her with all the passion I've had pent up inside of me since the day I first laid my eyes upon her. I poured my heart and all of my feelings for her into the kiss. I wanted her to understand.

I caressed her hip with my palm and she moaned softly. God, I wanted nothing more in this moment than to worship every inch of her delectable little body. That little moan was music to my ears- a sound I would be happy to elicit from her for the rest of eternity. I took a chance and kissed my way down her jaw as I slipped my fingertips beneath the hem of her shirt. Her emotions immediately went hay-wire, fluctuating between nervousness, fear, and inadequacy, the moment my cool fingers brushed the skin beneath her shirt.

Just one touch let me feel that her skin on the back of that hip was not silky smooth as it should be. Instead it felt...off. Sort of rough and raised- like scar tissue. I had to bite back a growl that thought evoked. Just how much of her body was scarred? I didn't want to think about why or how she ended up with them beneath her clothes...hell, I didn't even like thinking about the ones I'd already seen several times because they pissed me off. I wanted to go into a destructive rage at the mere thought of how she might have acquired such grotesque marks. She pulled away and I became very aware that just now, when I had her in my arms, was not the time to lose control of my temper.

She rolled to lie on the bed beside me, gasping for breath. I turned to face her and pulled her so close to me that our foreheads were resting against one another. She heaved against me causing her erect nipples to make a wonderful friction against my sensitive chest. I placed a quick peck upon her lips and scooted away slightly so that I wouldn't be tempted to pull her body back against mine.

"Can I ask you something?" I whispered after our breathing calmed down. There was no avoiding it. I had to start learning about these scars, for my own peace of mind.

At her nod, I let my fingertips ghost across the scars on her face. "How did you get these, sweetheart?" I asked gently.

"From jumping headfirst out of a second story window," she answered truthfully without missing a beat.

My eyes widened in shock. "Wha...whe...ho..._**why**_?" I mentally palmed myself. Way to go, Jasper. Way to sound like an inarticulate idiot.

She gave me a wry smile, choosing not to comment on my sudden inability to form coherent sentences. "I wasn't trying to commit suicide or anything if that's what you're thinking. Harry was incapacitated and there is no way I could have carried him out of there. Jumping out of that window was sort of the only viable escape from what would have been a very unpleasant death. So I grabbed him, jumped out of the window, and luckily Apparated us away mid free-fall."

"Well...that makes sense. I think." I muttered. "But why did they scar? The scratch marks you healed on Monday didn't scar."

"The nature of the cut. These weren't just mere scratches," she explained quietly as she brought her hand up and traced the scar that ran from her temple to her chin. "I must have gone through the window with this side of my head because my face was literally cut down to the bone here." Then she ran her fingertips over the crescent moon on the other side. "I had a huge hunk of glass embedded here. I used the most advanced healing spells I knew. It healed them up, but it left these scars. Usually, they can be removed by a magical cream that is applied within the first twelve hours, but I didn't have access to any."

"Did you not have access when you received the others then?" I asked with a gesture towards her arms and neck.

"No and it wouldn't have helped with most of them anyways because that is just how some magical wounds are. It's impossible to fully remove traces of some forms of magic from the human body."

I grew silent at that revelation. Her scars were from magic...so that definitely supported my theory about her past. However, the million dollar question is: Just how bad was it? Her scars scream that a magical battle is dangerous, but I can't wrap my head around it. I can't picture magic being dangerous in a fight. I cannot imagine something that has the possibility to do so much good being used in such a manner. I must have been silent for too long because she rolled onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. Her emotions started fluctuating between disgust and unworthiness. Two emotions I never wanted her to feel about herself.

"Do...do they..disgust you?" she whispered sadly before I could open my mouth to fix whatever I fucked up with my silence.

"No! God, no!" I cried as I reached out and pulled her body against mine. Gently, I turned her face towards mine. When she refused to meet my eyes, I maneuvered myself so I was hovering over her and looking directly into those heartbroken, soulful orbs with my arms planted on either side of her head.

"They don't disgust me. Your scars tell a story, Hermione. They tell me that you are a fierce, strong, and determined woman. They tell me that you aren't ashamed of who you are and what you have been through because you wear them with pride. Your scars give you character and make you the most beautiful woman I've ever met," I whispered passionately, begging with my eyes for her to believe me.

Her emotions began cycling quickly in her silence. The two I got the strongest read on were love and acceptance. I leaned down to press another kiss to her lips and couldn't help but smile when her breath hitched softly. She didn't doubt me and she had been willing to go into detail about those scars. That could only mean she would be open to me asking further questions as long as I didn't pry too much or go too fast.

Thank God!

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter is a week late, but I ended up re-writing it several times because I couldn't get it to fit right. I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(HPOV)_

"Do you have to go?"

"Yes."

"You can't at least have lunch with me like you did last Wednesday?" Jasper drawled in that silky smooth voice of his. I noticed the slight pleading edge to it as we walked to my car from History Monday afternoon.

"No. I don't have time today. We have an extra meeting." I explained patiently.

"Fine. But for the record…this sort of sucks."

"Is the big, bad, 177 year old vampire whining?" I teased with a soft snort of disbelief.

I turned to open my car door, but he put a hand on it, holding it closed. Before I could blink, he spun me around and wrapped me in his muscled arms. "It's not my fault I've been reduced to whining like a five year old. I'm willing to use any means necessary to get a little extra quality time with my gorgeous girlfriend. My next brilliant tactic is throwing a hissy fit," he teased back, throwing in a sexy half smirk for good measure.

Standing on my tippy toes, I brought my lips to his in hopes he would forget the aforementioned hissy fit. I really didn't want to see a vampire throwing a temper tantrum. It could not be a pretty sight. I chuckled into his mouth at the mental image his teasing gave me.  
His arms tightened around me and his lips tipped up as well. I immediately relaxed into his embrace as our lips danced against one another. His were so firm and cool compared to mine. It was so different, yet so erotic . They felt so right against mine. His wandering hands found their way to my arse just as they had last night. I moaned softly into his mouth when he pulled me up against him. The kiss deepened. I wound my fingers through his golden curls- tugging on them slightly.

"Will that hold you over until I get back?" I asked between gasps for air once our lip-lock ended.

"Never. I miss you when you're away from me."

"I miss you too Cowboy. Come see me at my house this evening so I can make it up to you?" I whispered against his lips.

He devoured my mouth with fervor once more. By this point, I had been backed against my Audi. He slyly lifted me by my arse mid kiss and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist. From this position, I could feel just how much he enjoyed kissing me. It was very hard, and very obvious.

The desire and lust was swirling between us in the most fantastical way as he lost control of his gift. I never wanted to stop kissing him. He was like a drug. The sweetest addiction known to man.

Unfortunately, the human need for air finally made itself known. I yanked my mouth away from his.

"What time?" he panted.

I braced myself on his shoulders as I unwrapped my legs and put both feet back on the ground. As I did so, my core slid over his erection causing a new wave of arousal to make itself known. It took every bit of my self-restraint to push him and his lips of sin away.

I quickly slid into my car before I started frantically humping his leg or doing something equally as embarrassing. I rolled down the window and shot him a smile. "Five-thirty."

He broke out into a huge grin. His whole face lit up in happiness. Before I realized what was happening, his head was inside my car with his lips once again attached to mine. "I'll see you then, Sweetheart," he murmured softly.

I pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the winding country road to my house. As I drove, my thoughts drifted back to the few kisses I'd had throughout the years. Sure, I'd always thought kissing was nice. What girl didn't? But I'd never experienced anything like this before. With Viktor, it had been more of an experiment since he'd been my first boyfriend. It had been wet and it'd been nice. McLaggen was the next bloke I'd kissed in anything more than a chaste manner. Now that had been a horrid experience. He had tried to eat my face and had nearly drowned me in his slobber. Then came that intense one with Draco. When he had kissed me in the Potions lab, it had been full of angry passion. He'd been confused and angry at me, himself, and the world. I'd angry at him and the life I'd had to lead because of the war. It had been just a hard, demanding kiss. It'd also been one of those forbidden pleasures that neither of us would ever admit to enjoying.

But Jasper? His kisses were so much more than anything I'd ever experienced. The chaste ones we shared were great, but the deep ones were out of this world. They were soul-shattering. When he kissed me like that, it made me feel beautiful, special, wanted, and just…dizzy with arousal. There weren't words to describe how much I wanted to rip his clothes off of his body and have my wicked way with him every time our lips touched.

If one kiss could make me feel that way, then I knew that these feelings I had for Jasper could not be fleeting. They weren't just going to go away after a few months. This wasn't some school-girl crush. This was the real deal. I was already well on my way to falling head over heels in love with him.

This could not be happening! I banged my palms against the steering wheel in exasperation. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was _supposed_ to be his friend. I was _supposed _to flirt with him. I was_ supposed_ to indulge in a fling. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with him.

I knew I was undeniably falling in love with Jasper, but doubts about his feelings for me kept plaguing my mind. What if this was just an experiment for him, a way to keep himself entertained? What if it was a game? What if he was just dating me because I intrigued him?

Bloody hell. If I didn't hurry I was going to be late. I quickly got stepped into my garage and Apparated to headquarters, hoping there would be some sort of distraction there. I needed to stop thinking like this.

Unfortunately, no one was there to meet me this time when I walked inside. I took a seat at the kitchen table and stared blankly at the wall, my mind still racing a mile a minute.

What_ was_ I_ thinking_? He was freaking empathic for goodness sake. What if he felt the love, adoration, affection, and devotion I held for him? What if he was capable of gauging the depths of the love that poured effortlessly from my soul in his presence and it freaked him out? All sorts of insane scenarios for how this could play out came to mind flitted through my over active imagination.

"Fuck!" I swore loudly, banging my head against the table in my frustration.

"Do you kiss your mother with that filthy mouth, Mione?"

I looked up at the person leaning casually against the door jamb. An amused smile was tugging at his lips.

"I'm so fucking screwed, Harry," I blurted.

A perfectly arched black eyebrow rose towards his eternally messy raven hair at both my language and statement. "Why's that?" he questioned, taking the seat across from me.

"I'm falling in love with a vampire," I groaned, banging my head on the table once more.

The chair he was so casually leaning back in slammed down with a loud thunk. That was quickly followed by an obscure choking sound. "Beg pardon?" he coughed.

"I am falling in love with a vampire," I repeated, sounding out the syllables slowly, as if I were speaking to someone with a severely diminished IQ.

"Well, I can definitely see how the whole blood-sucking thing would be an issue," he mused thoughtfully with a half-hearted grin.

I rolled my eyes at his ability to point out the blatantly obvious issue with a human/vampire relationship. Some things would never change.

"That isn't why I'm screwed. I'm screwed because I'm falling in love with a vampire whose special gift is to feel and manipulate emotions," I clarified, hoping my explanation of Jasper's empathy would spell it out a bit for him.

"Alright, I can see how that could be problematic and most definitely annoying," he stated calmly. "But why don't you tell me why you're beating your head on the table and claiming to be screwed?"

His mature, adult reaction stunned me for a moment. I had always figured that he would freak out and go berserk if he ever found out about Jasper. He'd always been rather protective of me, sort of like a big brother. Therefore I was counting on having to prevent him from doing something stupid, rash, and Gryffindorish the moment the word 'vampire' fell from my lips. To further my surprise, he nonchalantly resumed leaning his chair back on two legs and folding his arms behind his head. His cocky, devil may care pose was reminiscent of how Sirius used to sit during Order meetings.

"Because it was only supposed to be a fling on my part, even after I figured out he was a vampire. I just wanted to do something a little wild and reckless like a normal girl would do. I've never gotten to be wild or reckless without having to worry about dying along the way and I've most definitely never had the chance to act like a normal girl, so I wanted to try it. And I went and started falling in love with him." I cried.

"Alright Agony Aunt…falling in love is usually considered a good thing when dating. Did you not want to? You don't think he feels the same way…?" he threw out in confusion.

I threw my hands up in annoyance at his prod towards my angst declarations.

"I don't know," I cried before elaborating. "We've only been officially dating for about two weeks. Of course I didn't intend on falling in love with him, but I couldn't exactly help it either. He is incredibly sweet and smart and loyal and funny and caring and too damn sexy for his own good. He makes me feel so beautiful and special. But I don't know! Maybe this was all just some way to liven up his existence? I hope he loves me, but what if he doesn't? It'll be so embarrassing and incredibly awkward when he feels my love for him if he doesn't return my feelings."

Before Harry could form a reply, I stood and began pacing. I was at the point where I was worked up into a frenzy. There was no way I could stop talking until I had voiced everything on my mind.

"Besides that, he doesn't know the entire truth about my life as a witch. Sure, he knows some of the basics and he knows I'm a member of the Order- thanks to his coven leader recognizing my tattoo- but he doesn't know about the war. I don't even know if I want to broach that subject with him because it will be like baring my soul. Telling him will basically be giving him the freedom to judge me and all of the sins I have committed.

"How do I even begin to explain it in a way he'll understand? How do I describe the pure evil that is Voldemort? How do I tell him that I've killed people when I'm supposed to be one of the good guys? How do I explain the things I have seen? How do I tell someone I love about all of the times I was tortured? My past is going to scare him away if my feelings for him don't!"

I was fiercely rubbing my temples in frustration by the time I had laid out every one of my major concerns. Harry didn't even seem fazed. He never even batted an eye at my rant. He was that used to me. The chair resumed its rightful position with all four legs on the floor and he leaned in to meet my eyes in order to convey how serious he was taking this conversation.

"I think you're overreacting and over thinking things in your panic, Mione. Weirder things have happened than falling in love after only dating for two weeks. Love is strange. It knows no bounds. Has he given you any indication that this is just some way to quell his boredom? Would he bother introducing you to his coven and his way of life if it was? As for you being screwed...Well, he's an empath. Big deal. Chances are he has probably already felt your love for him. Especially if you are just now realizing how you feel. If he's still with you then that has to count for something."

I gaped at him. When did Harry get so…logical? "You're right. About all of it," I sighed collapsing into my chair. "But I still don't understand how we can move forward in our relationship when I'm hiding my past from him."

And perhaps this was the crux of the problem for me. I was emotionally invested now. If he found out the truth and wanted nothing to do with me, then I would be devastated. But I knew I had to tell him. We couldn't have a lasting, fulfilling relationship with so many things left unsaid between us. He had been willing to talk about my past and his on several occasions. Yesterday had proved that. He was willing to talk first so that I would feel more comfortable. However, instead of taking his invitation to question him about his story when we were looking at his photographs, I'd taken the cowards way out and had changed the subject. I knew that if he opened up then I would have to as well.

"Tell him," Harry stated like it was the most obvious solution in the world.

"It's not that simple," I whined, yanking on my hair a bit in my frustration.

"You're making it a lot harder than it actually is, 'Mione."

"Just how do you propose I tell a muggle vampire about a wizarding war, Harry? Do I just blurt out, 'Hey, you know all these scars that you've been asking about? Yeah, well you see, I got them from a war I started fighting when I was fifteen years old. But don't worry, the war is over now because my best friends and I hunted and destroyed the Dark Lord's soul.'"

"That's a rather vague explanation, but it would get the job done," he chuckled with a lop-sided grin.

My sarcasm was lost on him. Typical.

"Then again, you could always just part with those journals you've been keeping since first year. Those would work much better."

I gaped at him once more. His suggestion had merit. It was genius, really. I wouldn't have to explain much of anything out loud. My journals would do all of the work for me. Why hadn't I thought of this?

"Two intelligent, reasonable responses in one day? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" I asked, voice laden with fake suspicion.

"Invasion of the body snatchers, love," he responded, resuming his cocky pose now that the serious conversation was over.

I offered him a relieved and thankful smile. "Thanks for the insight, Harry."

He waved my gratitude off as if he were saying 'what are friends for?'

"And thanks for not flipping out about the vampire thing either," I added as an afterthought.

"Well, I can't say it wasn't shocking because that would be a lie. But you're a big girl Hermione. If the war taught me anything it taught me to trust your judgment. So if you think he is safe, then I'll believe you. However, if he ever hurts you I won't hesitate to roast him on a pyre. Now, he must be special to have caught your attention, so tell me about him."

While I stared at him in a mixture of shock and love, Harry had Kreacher fix us up a nice dinner. I began my tale of how I came across a coven of animal drinking vampires in one of the most remote towns in the United States as we ate. Just as I was describing the hilarious expressions on the Cullen's faces when I told them of all the strange flavors of Bertie Bots Jelly Beans, Kingsley and the other division leaders came into the kitchen.

Of course, I stopped my story immediately. I didn't want anyone overhearing. Nor did I want my private life to become gossip around Headquarters. The meeting began and focused on mostly boring things such as mission progress reports, possible new members, and a few arguments over training schedules. It was the norm for our meetings now that the war was finally over.

A few hours later, the room emptied and good-byes were exchanged. Kingsley, Hestia, Gweneth, McGonagall, and I all stayed behind. The other divisions may have known that we were involved in this mission to bring in the rogue Death Eaters, but the specifics were top secret. As Minister of Magic, Kingsley was here because he'd asked for our involvement in Ministry affairs. This was one of the side-effects of the war. The Order wasn't as secret a society as it once was. As a result, our experience with the Dark Arts was being exploited by the Ministry.

"Report from Intelligence?" McGonagall prompted Gweneth once she was sure the room was secure for our powwow session.

Gweneth shook her head. "Well, these Death Eaters are definitely very experienced. They are playing it smart and quickly Apparating to several random locations to avoid our traces on their magical signature after they finish their attack. There are also no obvious patterns in the attacks for us to predict. We haven't even gotten close enough to identify who we're dealing with after my trip alarms alerted us of the dark magic."

"So you haven't found their base of operations then?" I questioned, knowing that if they were this good at avoiding Intelligence that they would have to have some sort of protected safe house to return to once the traces were avoided.

"We've got several likely locations near Kazakhstan that are showing the right traces of magic. Hestia has several of her people sitting on them."

"I've also got Zabini working the darker circles throughout Europe. If there is something going on, he's our best bet to figuring it out. He's already narrowed our list of suspects down to ten of the most skilled remaining Death Eaters that have been spotted by reliable sources in close proximity to several of the attacks," Hestia interjected.

""Well, that's more than the Auror department was capable of doing with their limited manpower," Kingsley said with a heavy sigh as he ran his palm across his bald head- a sign of his frustration. "How long until you have enough to send in Tactical Elimination? The head of the Auror Department wants a general timeframe so he can have a team of Aurors ready to respond day or night."

"We expect to have confirmation on their motive and stronghold by the end of the week. If all goes as planned, Hermione and her team can make their move on Saturday night."

"Well, be sure to contact me via Patronus or fake Galleon as soon as you have anything concrete to give me for planning our assault. I'll need detailed layouts of their hide-out as well as whatever information your people can gather on their activities," I reminded them.

"Yes, and don't forget that this is a Ministry sanctioned mission, Miss Granger. The Ministry wants Tactical Elimination to capture and detain until the Aurors arrive. Killing is only allowed in self-defense. They want as many live Death Eaters apprehended as possible."

I looked at Minerva to find her giving me that stern, no nonsense teacher glare. I nodded solemnly. I was actually glad for this. I don't enjoy killing, but it was necessary during the war. I would never hesitate to kill in self defense, but if I can avoid it, I will. I'm just not sure what Minerva was trying to point out. That it was alright for us to kill them in self defense or that death was the only real limitation being placed on Tactical.

As our meeting came to an end, I said my good-byes, then left. I stood on the stoop of Number 12 for a moment after I closed the heavy door behind me. I needed a moment to come to terms with the fact that I would once again have to fight for my life. I would have to don that cold mask of indifference I thought I had left behind when the war ended to protect the innocent people in this world from evil.

Before me, people passed by, hurrying on about their lives, and I marveled at how life outside of Number 12 could go on as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring inside this townhouse. With one last heavy sigh, I turned on the spot and Dissaparated. Several stops later, I was surrounded by the familiarity of my bedroom. I collapsed on my bed, feeling confused. On one hand I was glad that I would be able to rid the world of more Death Eaters, but on the other, I loathed turning into that person again. I loathed being forced into life or death situations once again.

A glance at my clock showed 5:35. Jasper was already here. I gave myself a mental pep-talk as I headed down-stairs. Harry was right. It was time for me to buck-up and let Jasper into my life. I would let him begin reading my journals tonight. I would begin baring my soul to my vampire boyfriend.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	21. Chapter 21

Ch. 21

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter is a week late, but as you can see it is massive compared to others. It was very difficult to write so I hope the extra length makes up for the slow update. I want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without her fantastical skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(JPOV)_

As I watched Hermione's car disappear around a corner, time slowed down. The short walk from the parking lot to the cafeteria felt like it took hours instead of just mere seconds. Naturally, the rest of lunch passed in the same fashion. My family was of course talking and horsing around in an attempt to distract me, but it didn't work. Every fiber of my being was extremely aware that my mate wasn't where she belonged. She wasn't in the seat beside me and she wasn't even in the same country as me.

At first I was trying to distract myself by imagining what was happening at her meeting. That led to praying that it would end early so I could see her. By the time Art came around I had exhausted those lines of thought and began sketching her when I was supposed to be working on an abstract piece. Then while my English teacher read from _Frankenstein_ in my last class of the day I replayed our most recent make-out session. It served as the perfect way to avoid listening to the croaky old coot read a book I could recite from memory verbatim.

The moment that the final bell rang I jogged to the Jeep at a fast human pace. I had never been more excited to leave that place. Leaving school meant I only had two hours to kill until I could see Hermione.

I spent the next few hours lying in my bed perfecting the song I had recently began writing. It described how she made me feel. The emotions she evokes in me are just so raw and real, unlike any I've ever personally felt in my existence. The only way I knew to express them was through music. So I've been working on the guitar to accompany the lyrics for a few weeks. It has to be perfect before I play it for her.

Glancing at the clock I noted that it was just after five o clock so I ran out for a quick hunt just to be on the safe side. There would be no taking chances around her or her family. When I returned, I took a quick shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and was out of the door in less than three minutes. The drive to Hermione's took less than five minutes thanks to the high speeds of my Ducati Street Fighter

A dark Mercedes SUV turned onto the hidden drive just after me. I slowed to a respectable speed because I knew it was her parents coming home from their dental practice. Definitely don't want to make a bad impression this time. Getting hit in the face with a box of condoms at the supermarket the first time I met her mother was embarrassing enough. I dismounted my bike and removed my helmet as I watched the Mercedes pull into the garage between Hermione's Audi and a sleek BMW.

Hermione's mother stepped out of the passenger side and joined the older man with curly honey blond hair who had exited the drivers side. Mrs. Granger was beaming at me while her husband merely looked confused by my presence. I stood beside my bike awkwardly with my thumbs hooked in my pockets as they approached me. It was a very human habit indicating someone was nervous that I had picked up over the years.

"Jasper! This is a surprise. Are you here to see Hermione?" Mrs. Granger questioned as she stopped a few feet in front of me.

Her fathers emotions immediately turned to understanding and he took on a more threatening stance now that he knew I was the boy dating his daughter.

"Yes Mam. She told me she would be back from England around five thirty." I drawled

"Oh good, John and I were just discussing what time we thought she would be home from her meeting. She didn't mention a time this morning. Will you be joining us for dinner then?"

"Not tonight, I just finished dinner with my family." I lied with a charming smile to soften my rejection.

With an understanding smile she excused herself to put her things away and start dinner. I noted that her cheeks were tinted a slight rose color from my attention.

I turned to her father who had been appraising me with inquisitive pale green eyes and offered my hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Granger, I'm Jasper Hale."

He gripped my hand tightly for a human and his gaze slowly swept over me as if he were judging whether or not I was worthy of his little girl. His emotions told me that I was passing his test with my confident and up front demeanor before they turned towards wary curiosity.

"Likewise.." he muttered softly as his eyes fell to our hands. "Your hands are very cold Jasper."

I slowly removed my hand from his. "Poor circulation sir," I excused as I hooked my thumbs back into my pockets.

His lips tipped up and his eyes were dancing with a humor that matched his emotions. "Ah yes, poor circulation comes with being a vampire does it not?"

My eyes widened involuntarily. His emotions washed over me and he was entirely certain that he was right. I spluttered incoherently at his blunt statement as I searched for a proper way to address him without lying. I didn't want to lie to her parents. My hand immediately went to rub the back of my neck, my tell sign when I'm stressed. Before I could properly respond, he held a hand up to stop me.

"Don't deny it son. I'm not stupid. When I found out my little girl was a Witch, I took the opportunity I was provided with to learn everything about her world. I needed to know what was real and what was fake so I would have an idea of what sort of dangers she would be in."

I nodded along because I completely understood his actions. Any good, protective father would want to know those sorts of things. "I wouldn't have denied it Mr. Granger, you just surprised me is all. Most humans instinctively fear and avoid us. Yet here you stand as if you haven't a care in the world when you know what I am," I explained with a wry smile.

"When we first moved here, I knew there was something not quite right about your family. I remembered Hermione once warning us that the most beautiful and alluring things are usually the most dangerous, but I let it go because you are good people. You kids are never in trouble and both of your parents are well respected. However when Miranda mentioned your interest in my little girl and confirmed that you were from her world, but not a wizard, I decided it was time to figure out what sort of creature you are. Those cold hands just confirmed my theory that you were vampires."

"Oh," I muttered, mostly to myself.

He chuckled. His emotions were a strange mixture of confident cheerfulness and protectiveness. "I honestly have no idea why I'm not afraid of you. A good mate of mine back in University once told me I lived just shy of crazy. Then again he had no room to talk. That bloke jumped out of perfectly good airplanes. He was mental. Now that we both know that I know what you are, I sincerely hope you have no future plans to drain her because that just won't due."

He paused and his gaze turned cold as he reached into his pocket of his slacks. "For some reason I like you Jasper. Therefore, I have no problems with you dating my daughter as long as you cherish her, protect her, and respect her. That being said, if I ever find out you have harmed one hair on my little girls head, I won't hesitate to light your arse on fire."

He casually flipped open a black zippo and lit it all in one smooth motion as he finished his sentence. His emotions shifted to a vengeful sort of malice with the sincerity surrounding them making it known he wasn't joking. He meant it and he had no fear.

I nodded with a slight gulp as he slipped the zippo back into his pocket. " Mr. Granger, I guarantee you that I have no plans on draining your daughter. My coven feeds from animals because none of us want to be monsters. I promise that I will never treat Hermione as anything less than a Queen. She is my mate. I've been waiting on her for over a century."

A smile broke out on his features at my passionate words. It lit up his face and caused his eyes to dance just like Hermione's.

"Well then, I guess I should welcome you to the family son. By the way, call me John. It feels terribly odd to be called Mr. Granger by a vampire who has been waiting to date my daughter for over a century."

I couldn't help but laugh at both him and the situation. The man really had a wonderful personality to so readily accept that his daughter was mated to a vampire. I could see us getting along quite well. We started walking towards the house as the sky darkened and a slight drizzle began to fall.

"So, tell me John. Is the lighter a recent development or have you always carried it?" I questioned, wondering if he started when he discovered the truth about his daughters boyfriend.

He gave me a sideways glance and a sly smile spread across his lips letting me know I didn't pull off the casual tone at all. "I've been carrying it since I found out vampires existed. I figured there were decent odds that I might encounter one since I lived in England, so I started carrying it. I know I probably wouldn't get the chance to use it if I'm ever attacked, but I'd rather die knowing I tried."

"Understandable," I commented idly.

A third heart-beat sounded from upstairs as we entered the house. I felt all of the tension leave my body at that familiar rhythm and sound. She was just approaching the stairs when her father and I passed by. I inhaled her scent deeply as I stopped to wait on her.

"Hey Sweetheart," I greeted as she stepped from the last step.

Her face whipped towards my voice showcasing wide, surprised eyes. "Jasper, you're already here."

My lips twitched as I fought back a smirk and sarcastic retort. The opening she gave me to twist that back around on her fifteen different ways was just too easy. I couldn't take it.

"You're parents and I arrived at the same time," I explained instead.

She apologized for not being here, but I waved it off. It was nice that I had come to an understanding with her father…even if he did threaten to destroy me. After she popped into the kitchen to let her mother know she had already eaten dinner with Harry we headed up to her room.

The moment the door closed I made use of my handy dandy vampire speed to pull her close to me. Before she knew what hit her, I had wrapped my arms around her supple body and buried my face in her hair. I just needed to _feel_ her. "I missed you so much," I whispered softly.

Her arms snaked around my waist as she pressed her face against my chest. I could feel all of the warring emotions inside her. She was exhausted, apprehensive, annoyed, sad, uneasy, and just all around stressed out. I could sense that for some reason, she probably needed this contact more than me.

I reluctantly unwound my arms from her and led her to the bed by the hand. I pulled her to lay down beside me after I got comfortable. She immediately curled up against me with her head on my chest while I took advantage of our position to run my fingers through her riotous curls.

Neither of us spoke. It was completely silent in the room except for our rhythmic breathing and the steady beat of her heart. The next thirty minutes passed slowly as she worked through a myriad of emotions and drew comfort from me. I was just enjoying being with her in such an intimate manner after missing her all afternoon.

"Jasper?" She questioned softly, breaking the silence.

I looked down to find those novel orbs studying me. They looked haunted and guarded.

"Yeah baby?"

"Do you still want to read my journals?"

I searched her face and emotions for any indication that she wasn't offering what I thought she was. I found none.

"Of course, but only when you are ready," I conceded as I returned to running my fingers through her curls to sooth her sudden flare of nerves.

"I want you to read them. I'm just...scared. My past is not pleasant. It is unbelievably complex and full of darkness."

I closed my eyes and sighed at the depth of her insecurities. She thought I wouldn't want her once I found out about her life. Nothing could be further from the truth. I knew I needed to reassure her.

"It is not my place to judge you Hermione. Nor do I wish to. I have done some horrible things in my existence, the least of which was feeding from humans. I know that anything I read in those journals will not change how much I care about you because those things have molded you into the person lying here with me."

My traitorous mouth almost let the I love you slip out. Luckily I caught myself in time and changed it to 'I care about you'. I could sense that she wasn't ready to hear that yet, so I had to perform some last minute editing. My words still soothed her nerves though. Her apprehension all but disappeared as she pulled me up from the bed… Well she didn't actually pull me since I'm so much heavier and stronger than her, but I moved my body to match her wishes. I followed her over to the book case and she pushed me down into the plush pillows on her floor as she pulled the leather bound volume marked 'Year One' off the shelf.

"I kept a journal when I was a kid once weird things started happening to me. It made it seem more real and less like a figment of my imagination. When I went to Hogwarts, I continued writing about my first year in the same journal so you'll get to read about that first." She explained as she handed it to me.

Almost as if it were an afterthought she offered to answer any questions for me when I reached things I didn't understand. I didn't comment. Instead I made myself comfortable in her reading area. I was entranced with the knowledge that I held part of my mates most internal thoughts, feelings, and secrets in my pale hands. I opened the journal reverently and began reading avidly. All of the early entries were about her performing accidental magic. They were all rather cut and dry explanations of weird things happening until I got to a rather long entry that caught my attention.

_June 25, 2001_

_It happened again today. Mum and Dad are freaking out because the neighbors had to call for someone to come get me out of a tree. I told them I didn't know how I got up there, but they didn't believe me. All I know is that one minute I was being bullied by that git Kristopher from down the road and the next I was sitting in the highest branch of the neighbors tree_

_Of course this isn't the first time I've done something odd. There was that incident with the paint attacking Nichole when she stole my brush. Not to mention all of the times I managed to turn my milk into soda or make cookies float down from the top shelf. I think there is something wrong with me. The things I can do are almost like…magic._

_But that's crazy. Magic isn't real. That's like believing creatures such as unicorns and fairies truly exist. And of course, if I accept that those are out there, then I logically have to conclude that the not so nice creatures such as vampires and werewolves exist as well. It's odd. This should frighten me or seem outlandish, but it just feels…right to believe that magic is real._

_It's silly of me to want to believe it's magic when I know it means I have to accept the bad things exist to, but I honestly do. The alternative isn't very pretty. Who wants to consider that they are barking mad? I heard Mum and Dad discussing whether or not they should take me to get my head examined earlier. They think I'm telling tall tales to excuse my behavior. Or that I've lost it._

_I couldn't help but shake my head with a soft smile playing about my lips as I read this entry. Of course, it was sad in a way because her parents didn't believe her and she was questioning her own sanity. But it was just so like her to label creatures like vampires and werewolves as 'not so nice' instead of monsters._

From there on out, her entries detailed more strange happenings. Just before her parents decided to take her to a shrink, she talks about a woman named Minerva McGonagall coming to visit her family. She describes how wonderful it felt to know that magic really existed. How fascinating it was to see magic being performed in front of her with a real wand.

Then there is an extremely detailed and excited description of her first visit to Diagon Ally. This journal entry was amazing, by far my favorite of the ones I had read so far. Her descriptions enabled me to vividly imagine the cobblestone street as she shopped for her school supplies. I could see the elegant bank Gringott's looming in the distance and hear the owls hooting at the magical menagerie. I could feel the hustle and bustle of the street.

By the time I reached September the first I was just as excited as her about embarking on the journey to Hogwarts. It was just so amazing. She described how odd it was to walk through a seemingly solid wall the first time she passed through barriers nine and ten at Kings Cross station to reach Platform 9 ¾. I loved her vivid, awestruck descriptions of the scarlet Hogwarts Express. I laughed with her as she described the antics of two ginger twins who were nice enough to help with her trunk.

Later on the train ride she described her first meeting with a red headed boy and Harry Potter- _The Boy Who Lived_- while looking for a lost toad. Her thoughts on meeting him were…different. I kept searching for an explanation as to why he was so famous and important because she was positively gushing with excitement when she wrote of him. I wanted to know why she was so awestruck to have met him. So I read past the sorting of first years where she entered Gryffindor house with both of them and through her first weeks of school, but an explanation was never given.

"Hermione?" I questioned softly.

"Yeah?" she answered, somewhat distracted.

"You refer to Harry as 'The Boy Who Lived', but you don't explain that nick-name and why he is famous. It's almost like you believe it is common knowledge among your kind. Will you explain it so I understand better?" I requested.

She looked up at me, seeming to be weighing her options. Her emotions fluctuated from understanding to dread. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she radiated acceptance. She shut the spiral she had been avidly writing in for the past hour. "You're right. I didn't write it down because it is common knowledge in our world. I'll tell you enough so that you can understand who Harry is and what is happening because knowing who he is in our world is very important to understand my past. What happened the night he became the Boy-Who-Lived is the key to everything." she said quietly.

I nodded. Our eyes met as she took a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed her temples.

"Thirty years ago, a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. emerged back into Europe's magical society after disappearing for about twenty years. However, he returned with a new name, Lord Voldemort. He pushed the boundaries of magic, exploring realms of the dark that were unheard of in an attempt to gain power and a level of immortality to surpass all others. He easily became the most powerful dark wizard in history. He feared no one except for his ex professor Albus Dumbledore -the most powerful wizard of the light. However, that fear didn't stop him from terrorizing our world, from trying to cleanse our world of 'filth'."

I definitely noted the bitterness and distaste in her voice and emotions when the word 'filth' fell from her tongue.

"He developed a deep hatred for those he believed to be inferior to him and others of his status. His hostilities towards muggle-borns -witches or wizards born to normal humans- and blood-traitors -those who associated with us- soon led to an all out war between the light and the dark. He built an army of darkness to surpass all others to fight his war. An army he believed to be invincible because it consisted of Death Eaters, Dementors, Werewolves, Giants, and any other dark creatures he could persuade to his side.

As the new leader of The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore became the beacon of the light. Our world turned to him to lead the war against the dark and he stepped up. The war waged for five years in a stalemate as the armies for each side grew stronger. After the fifth year, Dumbledore gained four soldiers who tipped the scales in the favor of the light. They became his right hands in battle because they were some of the most brilliant wizards of the age. The four were known as The Marauders throughout our world for their love of mischief and adventure. They were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."

She practically snarled the last name with pure malice rolling off of her. I wondered why she didn't hold as much affection for this man as she did the other three, but I figured I would eventually find out. Two of those names were familiar to me. She has spoken of both of them with love and familial affection. She has pictures of Remus around her room. However I was too captivated by the way she described this war and how complex it seemed to worry about it too much. I was desperate for her to continue the story. After she composed herself from her momentary flash of hatred, she did.

"The Marauders were constantly defying Riddle, countering his moves before he could make them and protecting innocents from his army. One night, Dumbledore got word that Voldemort planned on killing the Potters- those who had thrice faced him in battle and survived. He immediately moved James, his wife Lily, and their one year old son Harry into hiding to protect them.

On Halloween night, eighteen years ago, the Potter's were getting ready for bed at their home in Godric's Hollow with their son Harry. Unbeknownst to them, one of their friends betrayed them and informed Voldemort of their location to gain favor in his ranks. He quickly exacted his revenge, taking the family by surprise. James fought off the attack while Lily retreated with the baby, but he was unarmed and stood no chance. He was killed quickly and next came Lily. She died defenseless, protecting her son. He then turned his wand on the one year old baby and uttered those two cursed words. The killing curse rebounded off of Harry and struck Voldemort.

The magical world rejoiced at the indirect victory of the light. They quickly bestowed a hero's status on Harry because he defeated the darkest wizard our world had ever known. He was dubbed '_The Boy Who Lived_' before the end of the night because he is the only known survivor of the killing curse."

I stared at her in awe. The child ended a war and lost his parents in the same night. It was tragic. Yet it was also….an amazing story because I learned a bit of history about her world and had an idea of what magical war was like, but it didn't lessen how sad it was. No wonder she was so awestruck when she first met him. Then, as I replayed what she said over again, I felt like my dead heart attempted to jump out of my chest.

"Wait, killing curse? As in it just kills you?" I questioned, feeling slightly panicked at the thought of her probably having faced one before if my theory about her being in a war was correct.

She gave me a wry smile accompanied by a curt nod. "Two words and a flick of the wrist are all it takes. You'll get to the specifics on that in year four I think."

I grimaced, not liking that my image of magic being all about doing cool things was crumbling before my very eyes. Killing people is definitely not something cool. Don't get me wrong, I already figured it probably did horrible things since there was a whole war involving it…but still...its crazy to have solid evidence to support my theories.

I wanted to ask her more questions, but the guarded look in her eyes and her fluctuating emotions told me that they wouldn't be welcomed. She went back to whatever she was concentrating on in her spiral and I returned to reading.

I read about how the kids in her year ignored her because she tended to show off her natural affinity with magic. She described how annoying it was to only have her housemates come to her when they needed help with homework. That nearly broke my heart.

Then I finally reached Halloween, where I learned the full story surrounding her death by mountain troll incident. Part of me was upset that she was in that situation, but the other half was wanting to laugh at the absurdity of her description. Especially since she complained about the creatures smelly, disgusting bogies that ended up on her robes for two whole paragraphs. But despite that I knew that a lasting friendship had formed that night. It was evident in how Harry and Ron began protecting her from Malfoy and the other Slytherins even though she was capable of giving just as good as she got.

From there, I read on totally enraptured as the mystery surrounding the Philosopher's stone* began to unfold. I was right there with her as she lit Professor Snape's robes on fire during a Quidditch match. I was scared with her when they came across Fluffy. If I had adrenaline, it would have been pumping through my veins when they entered the trap door Fluffy guarded in order to stop Snape from getting the stone. I was just as surprised as she was when it turned out to be Professor Quirrell possessed by Voldemort attempting to steal it.

But on the other hand I was disturbed. This…man… who had waged a great war in her world was supposed to be dead. Yet he was possessing people? That is not normal and all sorts of freaky. What was even weirder was the fact that when Quirrell touched Harry, he turned to ash. Magic was odd.

"So Voldemort didn't die when he tried to kill Harry ?" I asked, needing all sorts of clarification. This was fifteen kinds of fucked up and confusing.

She looked up at me, biting her lip. "No. He lost his physical body, but his soul remained Earthbound. He was existing, just biding his time until he had a chance to regain his body and get rid of the last Potter."

I nodded. That made sense…sort of. "And why did Quirrell turn to ash when he touched Harry?"

That was a question I really wanted answered. It was freaky and sort of scary. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought of a way to explain.

"Harry's mother sacrificed herself to save him when she shielded him from Voldemort. It enacted an ancient blood magic that was capable of deflecting the killing curse. Which is why Quirrell was burned from the inside out when he touched Harry. Voldemort was so inherently evil that it was impossible for him to touch something that still existed due to love."

I felt an eyebrow involuntarily raise at her explanation. "So you're saying love is what saved Harry both times?" I questioned skeptically.

She put down her spiral with an affronted, slightly faraway look. "I have seen amazing things happen because of it. Love can create powerful protection. Love can heal souls damaged beyond repair. Love can save those on the brink of death. Doubt it all you want, but I know from experience that love is the most complex and powerful form of magic."

The conviction rolling off of her was staggering. She truly believed in the power of love. She felt it so strongly that I wanted to believe with her. It also made me excited for the day she loved me because I know without a doubt that it will be an all encompassing passionate love.

Without saying another word, I placed the journal back on the shelf and pulled out the sketchbook for it. I flipped through less refined renderings of Hogwarts Castle, profiles of Harry and Ron, sketches of Professor Snape, and anything else which caught her eye that year. It was a nice visual aide to the story I had already read.

A glance at the clock revealed that it wasn't even eight in the evening, so I decided to go ahead and read the next journal. Hermione had moved from the bed and was now at her desk in a flurry of action. Her brow was furrowed due to her intense concentration as she scribbled notes and shuffled through papers.

The first part of the second journal picked up when she joined the Ron and Harry at the Burrow for the last month of summer vacation. I was just as intrigued as she was to find out Harry nearly got expelled because of a House Elf performing magic in front of his relatives. Not to mention the elf's warning. The rest of the entries blurred together until it was once again time for her to be at school. The first entry from that one made me snicker at her haughty attitude.

_September 1, 2002_

_Well, I can safely say that second year has started off with a bang. There is never a dull moment when you are best friends with Harry Potter. I'm still not sure whether that is a good thing or not._

_So, I sat with Neville, Ginny, and an odd first year named Luna Lovegood this afternoon on the train ride because I couldn't find Harry or Ron when I boarded. I never even saw them after I went through the gate ahead of them. After the sorting, they still hadn't shown up and I was beginning to worry. Of course, I fretted for nothing. They ended up making a true Marauder worthy entrance._

_Apparently, the gateway to the platform sealed and they didn't get to pass through. The two dunces naturally decided that flying Mr. Weasley's Ford Angelina to Hogwarts was a brilliant idea and the only way for them to get there. So not only did they fly it here- getting spotted by Muggles along the way- but they also managed to crash it into the womping willow._

_Snape found them being flung around by its branches. Before the feast ended they managed to lose us 200 house points, had to visit the hospital wing for broken bones, and ended up with detention in the dungeons for a month._

_Boys._

From that point on I read of their adventures and of course their pranks. Then the strange things started happening. The Heir of Slytherin thing had me immediately worried. For some reason I just knew where this was going, but I couldn't stop reading. So when Hermione figured out it was a Basilisk petrifying the students, I grew even more concerned. I remember reading about those in the book I borrowed awhile back. Then she has to go and get petrified. It was better than her being dead, but still upset me to know how close my mate came to dying.

"Is there ever a year where you weren't nearly killed by something strange?" I asked her in exasperation.

She let out a small laugh. "Fourth year. All the things considered, that was a fairly normal year for me."

I nodded and continued the tale. Once she wasn't petrified anymore, she re-told the epic battle Harry had with the Basilisk as Voldemort attempted to regain his human body by draining the life force of Ginny Weasley.

I left after a lengthy good-night kiss once I was finished with year two. It was late and she needed sleep. I didn't go home though. I didn't want to be in the house with Edward while I processed all of this. This was my mates story and he had no right to hear about it from me. Both she and I knew he would no doubt pick it out of my head eventually, but there was no harm in prolonging it for as long as possible.

I ended up riding my bike out to the beach where we had our first date. I sat on the dunes and looked out over the Pacific as I came to terms with all I had learned and prepared myself to learn more. Somehow I had a feeling that the first two years only scratched the surface of the tension with Voldemort. Somehow I knew things were going to get much worse before they ever got better and I needed to be ready for that.

As the darkness turned into day, I headed to school. I just needed to be with my angel again. I needed to soak up the normalcy of our usual routine. The day passed with my instincts forcing me to be more lovey dovey with her than normal. It just felt necessary to reassure myself that she was here and safe after learning I nearly lost her so many times.

Before long, I once again found myself sprawled out in her reading area with a journal in hand. I breezed through third year which was rather insane for her since she was using a time turner to get to all of her classes. Not to mention her discovery that Professor Lupin was a werewolf and the drama with rescuing Sirius Black. That ordeal gave me a better understanding of the pure loathing she has for Peter Pettigrew. He was the traitor. Though I feel that this wasn't the only incident to make her feel that way towards him.

"Your Godson, Teddy, is half werewolf then?" I asked calmly as I closed the journal.

I glanced over at the photos of Lupin on her wall. I could definitely discern the wolfish features. That also accounted for the heavy scarring that was visible. I really had no problem with it. I had personally never encountered a wolf before so I had no bias towards them.

She looked up and nodded. "Yes, but he will never transform because Lycanthropy cannot be passed on genetically. Instead he will inherit the enhanced vision, sense of smell, hearing, and he will have a longer lifespan. Does his heritage bother you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I hold no ill wishes for wolves as long as they do not harm me or mine. I actually find it fascinating. I can't help but wonder how he will react to us vampires though."

I felt my brow furrow at that last thought. That could be problematic if my presence irritated him. I would have to discuss that possibility with her at a later date. I quickly delved back into my reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Her life really was quite amazing. It was incredible to find out my mate had lived through so much. Her past was much richer and more interesting than anyone I had ever met before. And that is saying something.

Year four passed in flurry of activity. The first worrying situation being the Death Eater raid during the World Cup where she saw the Dark Mark cast into the sky for the first time. Once that calmed down, nothing too interesting happened. I read of how Hogwarts hosted the Tri-Wizard Tournament where two other magical schools competed. That led to Ron abandoning Harry until the first task as well as her meeting and beginning to date the Bulgarian Seeker,Viktor Krum.

That part was the hardest for me. It was so hard to read about my mates infatuation with another man. It hurt to know that she was the most important thing to him which was pointed out when she was taken during the second task for him to rescue. It didn't help my insecurities to know that she still clearly cared for him after all these years.

As she promised the killing curse was mentioned, but it was only in passing as she described an upsetting Defense lesson with Professor Moody. Apparently it was one of the three Unforgivable Curses, but she didn't describe them and I didn't even bother asking her. I realized that the killing curse was a bit of a sore subject yesterday and I didn't want to dredge up anymore bad memories. Then came the final task where Harry returned with a dead body. As I finished reading her explanation of Harry's retelling of how Voldemort regained his physical body, a sense of foreboding overcame me.

It was with the utmost reluctance that I opened her journal for fifth year. I knew things were about to get darker. It was obvious that things were about to get worse for her because over the past four years she had established herself as someone important to Harry. I knew she would be a direct target of Voldemort's wrath as he attempted to eliminate the last Potter.

I wasn't wrong. I read about her induction as a junior member of the Order of the Phoenix. She never spoke much of her training due to vows of secrecy, but she described it as being intense and tiring. Then, came school where they learned their new Defense teacher was a ministry official. That of course led to them forming Dumbledore's Army or the DA so that her, Harry, and Ron could teach their classmates some of the skills they were being taught by the Order. They didn't want to worry about them not being able to defend themselves.

As she described everything happening with Umbridge, I felt a constant low growl coming from me that I was unable to reel in. I absolutely loathed this cow for how she treated my mate. I just wanted to rip her to pieces. I wanted to make her suffer for the way she took pleasure in forcing my mate to carve 'I must not tell lies' into her hand. I didn't manage to stop snarling until I came to one of the final entries in the journal.

_June 12,2006,_

_We had our O.W.L exams two weeks ago. I think I did well on them considering our Defense teacher sucked and all of the drama with Dumbledore's Army. I actually should have written this entry sooner, but I've just gotten out of the Infirmary. You won't believe how I ended up there._

I immediately stopped reading long enough to sigh in exasperation. Seems like the whole nearly dying thing was cropping up again. I steeled myself for the worst and continued.

_It all started when we were taking our O.W.L's. Fred and George were so upset about Umbridge taking over the school that they decided to forgo their N.E.W.T.S and quit. They were supposed to have left that morning, so imagine our surprise when the doors to the Great Hall burst open and fireworks erupt during the last hour of our exam. Their display was really quite spectacular. The best part was when they flew in on their brooms and released one that exploded into a giant dragon. It went right for Umbridge. She took off running in the most awkward prissy manner I've ever witnessed towards the Black Lake. Her garish pink outfit made it possible to view her progress from the highest towers of the castle._

I grinned at this, wishing I had been there to witness it and continued.

_While we were all cheering and waving good-bye to the twins, the oddest thing happened. Harry clutched his scar and collapsed in the court yard. Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and I all stopped to make sure he was alright because he has never lost consciousness when his scar hurt before. When he came back to himself he told us he had another vision._

_He had gotten another look into Voldemort's mind (which wouldn't have happened if he would have continued with his Occlumency lessons mind you). In his vision, Voldemort had captured Sirius and was holding him at the Department of Mysteries demanding he hand over something of importance. His vision never showed him what, but it must have been valuable to his cause._

_Naturally, Harry freaked out as he is prone to do. He immediately started planning a rescue for Sirius. Of course, just as in the past, Harry's plan only included the showing up part. This is because he improvises everything else and makes snap decisions based on his surroundings. Those sort of plans just work for him. Thinking on his feet and being able to adapt to situations are his strengths._

_But they aren't mine so that made me uneasy. My training with the Order has been diverse since I'm currently part of three different divisions. Unfortunately, my training has mostly focused on forming well thought out strategies since I am apart of two divisions that depend on them. But there was just no time and to many unknown factors for me to come up with anything solid. Despite all the risks, despite the really bad feeling I had about this being some sort of trap, I bit the bullet and decided to go. I couldn't just let him run off and get himself killed after all._

From there on, she described how she used the evil toad's aspirations about uncovering a nefarious plot to overthrow the Minister to exact her revenge. That was quite clever on her part and I couldn't be more satisfied with the cruel retribution via Giants and Centaurs that she sought against the vile woman.

Then came her detailed descriptions of the Ministry and their journey to the Department of Mysteries and into the Hall of Prophecy. I could feel her annoyance that they had come all this way for a mere prophecy. Her words depicted how much she detested the idea. Then my eyes widened in horror as I read of the seven figures wearing gleaming skeletal masks closing in on six children.

Here, her writing took on a tinge of fear as she was confronted with six Death Eaters whom had escaped from wizards prison. That grew as the one named Dolohov taunted her…he made it personal and indicated a desire to use her body once he captured her.

I nearly lost it right then at his gross insinuations. My knuckles were white from my grip on the book and my breathing heavy. It took every ounce of restraint I possessed to keep my temper in check. I had to keep repeating that it was in the past and there was nothing I could do about it for a solid five minutes before I was capable of relaxing enough to move on.

I read as she held her own in a battle against him after the Order arrived since the others were too busy helping the DA members who weren't as skilled. I wanted to rip him to shreds when he injured her badly enough to knock her unconscious, with the death of Sirius Black being the last thing she saw.

The guilt she felt regarding that as she recounted her actions was obvious. She felt that she could have done something different to change the outcome. She thought she could have saved him when it was obviously impossible.

I immediately put the journal aside and ghosted to lie beside her on the bed even though I wasn't finished reading. She looked up at me in question and I couldn't form words to describe how I felt. I could do nothing other than wrap her in my arms and pull her tight against my chest. She was so strong and brave. Most people would have cracked by now after going through so much.

I sent her my love, pride, and adoration as I held her close. I just needed to reassure myself that she was here and she was safe no matter what evil she faced in the past. We laid there wrapped around one another without saying a word. I think she understood what I needed better than I did because she radiated a loving mix of emotions as she ran her fingers through my hair in a calming manner. I was a tense statue beneath her as everything I read began to sink in.

It was just too much and I knew that I hadn't even read the worst of it yet.

I didn't move or speak until her father popped his head into the room and reminded us it was a school night. After that I took my time thoroughly kissing her goodnight and headed home.

* * *

***I decided to use the original term of Philosopher's Stone since it was only written as Sorcerer's Stone in America***

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	22. Chapter 22

Ch. 22

I want to give a huge thanks to both Michelle Amethyst and AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without their guidance, advice, and fantastical beta skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(HPOV)_

I still couldn't believe how well Jasper had taken learning my story so far. He'd actually laughed and made jokes throughout the first four journals. However, I'd known things would change once it was revealed that Voldemort had regained his physical body. I had prepared myself for every sort of scenario once he got to my fifth year of school. I'd expected to see uncontrollable rage, disgust, pity, or fear. But he'd mainly looked as if he was proud of how we handled things that year. As he'd reached the end of the journal, I'd watched the emotions begin to play across his features. Their intensity had surprised me. He'd been angry, no, he'd been furious, but extremely controlled in his response- as if he'd known he couldn't lose it here. Only his clenched jaw, startling onyx eyes, and tensed muscles had given him away.

The compassion that had immediately replaced his fury had been nothing like what I had expected from him. I'd actually witnessed the change on his face. It had astonished me when he'd pushed away everything he'd been feeling just to come wrap his muscular arms around me. He'd been almost desperate to be near me.

I honestly could not fathom how long we had laid there, curled around one another on my bed, my head buried in his chest and his fingers running through my hair. His whispered reassurances that Sirius' death was not my fault had floored me. To know that someone with an objective view of the events didn't believe that it was my fault meant more than the world to me. Especially since only three people- Harry, Remus, and Kingsley- had ever out right told me that I hadn't gotten Sirius killed. Hearing Jasper's words had been the first time that even a tiny smidgen of the guilt and blame I had carried since that day had disappeared.

"You've been awfully quite today. What's goin' on in that pretty little head of yours, darlin'?"

My whole body relaxed at the sound of Jasper's smooth drawl breaking into my musings. I melted even further into his side and had to wrap my arm around his waist to help keep myself steady. It really should have been a sin for one man's voice to be so deep and alluring. I loved that strong baritone he spoke in. I nearly turned into a puddle of sticky goop every time he opened his mouth.

"Just wondering if you'll take the next few journals as well as you took the first five," I answered soft enough so that only he would hear as we navigated the crowded hallway to lunch.

"Why wouldn't I?"

I glanced up at his question to see a slight frown marring his perfect face. I sighed.

"You seemed like you were having problems coming to terms with some of the things you read. I guess I'm worried because what you've read is nothing compared to what happens next. Things are about to get much worse. The War is no longer being fought in secret. Times got real dark after my fifth year of school. People were killed, captured, or tortured on a daily basis," I explained quietly.

And that was the truth. In the recesses of my mind, I had been worried about these next few journals. Sixth year was really the beginning of the end of my childhood. Sure, I'd been an Order member at fifteen, but the War had not been fought out in the open. I had only trained as a soldier, not fought as one. But once all had been revealed, I'd had to step up and fight for my freedom…fight at the sides of my friends and family.

He would read about how guilty I felt as I lost that blissful innocence anyone living outside of a war possessed. That year, I became handler to a spy. I became a key member of the Tactical Elimination squad. I'd been involved in many gruesome battles as one of the most skilled dueling teams of the light.

Jasper would get detailed accounts of all of the Death Eaters I'd personally taken out - including their name, age, origin, and known family members. There would be tons of information about Blaise and I using his position as a spy to find, interrogate, and kill Death Eaters involved in key operations. The three times I'd been tortured as a prisoner of war would be described in vivid detail. I would depict quite graphically the horrific mental torture I'd experienced during my two weeks of guarding the Horcruxes.

Part of me still wondered if that was too much for him to take in…if he would be able to handle that knowledge. Did I really want someone I love to read about all of the questionable things I had done to survive? He claimed he would not judge me, but I knew that he would whether he meant to or not. We are all inclined to judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their acts. *

It was just a fact of life. Humans were judgmental creatures by nature. It was done both consciously and subconsciously. There was no way to avoid it.

He didn't bother to comment on my concern as we grabbed our lunch and sat with his family. They all looked at us as if they could tell something was off between Jasper and I, but didn't comment. Perhaps they thought the tension was due to the fact that I had to leave for London as soon as lunch was over.

Yet another reason I'd been quiet today. On Saturday I would have to put all of my carefully crafted plans to the test. I would have to don my old persona and become a ruthless warrior to win against, to capture, these Death Eaters. I was still trying to come to terms with this.

After I had eaten only a few bites of my salad, my magic flared in that unique manner to let me know that there was another magical being in the vicinity. Involuntarily, I stiffened. Jasper tensed beside me as my emotions washed over him. They were, no doubt, a mixture of fear, annoyance, and paranoia. I surreptitiously glanced around the cafeteria to seek out the presence that didn't belong. I found nothing out of the ordinary until I glanced at the doorway. Standing there was a familiar olive skinned man scanning the crowded room with his cerulean blue eyes.

"Sweetheart?" Jasper questioned softly, his arm snaking across my shoulder protectively.

I ignored his question. My attention was focused on the presence that should definitely not have been in Forks, Washington. Our eyes met from across the room and a lazy grin spread across his face. He slowly made his way towards me, showing me that he wasn't a threat by keeping his empty hands at his sides in a visible, submissive manner. I quickly cast a wandless _Muffliato_ and several _Notice-Me-Not_ charms around the table. Just in case things got out of hand.

"I can't read his mind," Edward hissed to me over the low growls vibrating through Jasper's body.

"I'd think not, considering he and I were trained to protect our minds by the same wizard," I muttered sarcastically as I radiated recognition to Jasper's tense form.

I scrutinized the man's mannerisms as he approached, looking for anything out of the ordinary in his typical arrogant swagger. The only thing off in his entire demeanor were the rolled up sleeves of his expensive dress shirt. He hadn't worn clothing that exposed his forearms since he'd taken the mark. Because of this, I didn't let my guard down. My hand was poised, ready to summon my wand at any further oddity, no matter how slight.

He stopped five feet away with a guarded, wary expression. "Wotcher, Granger," he greeted, using our secret safe word to ensure me of his identity.

Only then did I relax and allow a small smile to cross my features. "You know, I nearly labeled you an impostor and hexed you within an inch of your life, Zabini. You haven't willingly exposed your arms since we were sixteen."

He casually lifted an eyebrow and crossed those last few feet quickly. "Well, it's been rumored that a certain Gryffindor has a thing for Slytherin bad boys. What better way to get their attention than showcasing just how dangerous I am?"

I could feel Jasper's body shaking as he attempted to restrain his natural protective instincts. He obviously wasn't thrilled that the unknown person that had put me so on edge earlier was approaching me, but he realized I was alright with it so he was trying to be as well.

"You could always wax poetic about how his vivid green eyes are haunted by the ghosts' of his past," I deadpanned.

"Cheeky witch," he drawled lazily with an exaggerated roll of those baby blues. He then pulled me up from my chair into a tight hug. Even going so far as to pick me up and spin me around despite my disgruntled protests.

Once he put me back on my feet, I stepped back and collided with Jasper's hard body. He must have stood the moment I'd been pulled up. Those cool arms of his wrapped around my waist where they gently pulled me down so that I was sitting in his lap. It was a very possessive gesture that I'm sure was not lost on Blaise if the slight widening of his eyes was anything to judge by.

I grinned up at him. "You love it."

"Yeah," he admitted with a dimpled grin to match my own as he sat in my vacated chair.

I put my hand to my mouth in a mock gasp.

"Did the notoriously cold, emotionless Slytherin just admit to having feelings? Whatever will your friends think when they hear of such a thing?" I teased.

"They'll crown me a hero when I tell them that emotions are an unfortunate side effect of the Gryffindor Princess tying me up and doing all sorts of wicked things to my sexy body," he shot back with a suggestive leer.

I scoffed. "Lord, you have got to stop spending time with Malfoy. His arrogance is rubbing off."

"If our conversation continues in this direction, that won't be the only thing rubbing off."

"Do you kiss your mother with that filthy mouth, Zabini?" I shot back at him with a feigned look of disgust over Emmett's loud guffaws and Jasper's menacing snarl at his lewd declaration.

"We're Slytherins, dear. We don't kiss. We maim and torture."

"You may be a Slytherin, but you're also Italian. Heritage trumps house. Meaning you definitely kiss more than you maim and torture." I paused. "Or you at least kiss as you maim and torture," I added as an afterthought.

He nodded his agreement with a dirty little smile. "I do love having these conversations with you, Cara. However, I fear our audience is rather lost. So how about you make some introductions, yeah?"

My lips tipped up as the familiar Italian endearment rolled off his tongue. He may call me Granger most of the time in public, but he has called me Cara in private for several years.

"Blaise, this is my boyfriend, Jasper, and his siblings, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Edward. Guys, one of my best friends and fellow Order member, Blaise Zabini," I introduced drolly, pointing to each in turn.

"You forgot to mention a few things in that description. Such as I'm dashing, handsome, dangerous, loyal, incredibly wealthy, and single," he corrected arrogantly with that all too familiar Slytherinesque smirk spread across his face.

I snorted. "Three out of six of those were adept descriptions -mainly the fact that you are loyal, entirely too wealthy for your own good, and single... The other three, well...I'm sure your ego can handle the blow."

He brought his hands to his chest in mock hurt. "You've cut me deep, Cara. You've cut me deep," he moaned dramatically.

I snickered at his usual over-the-top attitude.

"So, you're dating a vampire, Granger? Can't say I saw that coming."

I shrugged nonchalantly despite the fact that said five vampires immediately became stone still.

"You told him?" Edward practically growled at me with a scathing look in the depths of his amber eyes.

Jasper sent a menacing snarl back at him in warning. His cool arms tightened around my waist and he pulled me closer to his chest as he buried his nose into my hair. Blaise was watching the exchange with his face schooled in a perfectly neutral expression.

"I am a wizard, you know," he drawled arrogantly. "I've known how to identify a vampire since I was a child. Malfoy warned me about them, but I refused to believe him until I saw it with my own eyes. I must admit that I thought he was just trying to get me back for that little stunt you pulled to out us when he visited you."

"Didn't like our dirty little secret, eh?" I asked with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard. I swear, all of Europe heard him telling me off for keeping our friendship from him," he laughed.

"Always has had a flair for dramatics that one," I commented with a soft, satisfied chuckle. Those sounds quickly turned to excited squeals of joy when a familiar box was flashed in front of my face.

"Is that?" I questioned with hungry eyes

His lips tipped up. "The best Tiramisu in all of Italy? Yes it is. Nonna made this especially for you when she heard I was coming to visit."

His grandmother makes the most fantastic authentic Italian desserts I've ever tasted. She's spoiled me with them ever since the first time I met her. I quickly opened up the box, barely able to refrain from drooling. I knew from experience that this will taste so much better than this mediocre cafeteria food. A small moan of pleasure escaped as the first bite of the espresso soaked finger biscuits surrounded by creamy goodness passed my lips.  
In true Slytherin fashion, he stole a bite of it when my eyes were closed.

I growled, brandishing my fork at his face in what I hope was a threatening manner. "Oi! Nonna made this for me! Go back to Italy and get your own Zabini!"

He pouted, eyeing my fork warily, while everyone else laughed. I ate the next bite slowly to tease him.

"Why haven't I read anything about him in your journals, sweetheart?" Jasper asked me softly.

Of course, Blaise somehow managed to hear it. His eyes widened. "She's letting you read those? No one, I mean no one, has ever read them before. Not even Potter."

Jasper started projecting a ton of pride and love into me, whether on purpose or accident, I didn't know. "She is," he confirmed.

Blaise whistled lowly. "Oh Cara, you've got it bad," he accused in a teasing voice.

I stuck my tongue out at him and decided to answer Jasper's question instead of getting in an argument with the annoying Italian by my side. "You've only read through fifth year. Blaise and I didn't really become anything more than hostile acquaintances until our sixth year of school."

"What changed?" Rosalie prompted with a breathtaking smile as she looked between us.

"She saved me. In return, I gave her my loyalty," he replied simply, though we both knew the story was much more complicated than he was letting on.

"Yeah, we're BFFs and all that jazz. I'd choke a bitch for him, he'd kick someone's ass for me. It's a good system we got goin," I added with a flippant wave of the hand to help keep our conversation from turning towards the memories of his attempted suicide after he'd received the mark, memories best left forgotten.

It looked like they wanted to ask more questions about the subject, but wisely did not. They obviously got the hint that the subject wasn't one we were going to be discussing freely. Speaking of the Italian that didn't belong, I finally decided to question his presence. My tasty treat was gone, I no longer had a reason to put it off.

" So...care to tell me why you're here?" I asked with a casually raised eyebrow.

"There has been a change in plans. You won't be attending tonight's meeting because our friends in Russia moved to Alaska last night."

His meaningful stare made it clear what he was referring to. I felt my body tense slightly at the thought of Death Eaters being so close to my family and I, but I didn't let my worry show on my face.

"Really? That puts a new spin on things. Russia is _lovely_. I wonder why they would move on to Alaska so suddenly," I mused. I was truly curious as to why they had moved so quickly. It was almost as if they were searching for something while they were on their killing spree and moving on when they didn't find it.

"Russia is lovely, hmm? What Apparition route have you been taking to London lately?" He questioned nonchalantly-as if we were discussing the weather and not the movements of Death Eaters.

"Usually Alaska to Russia with a small break before I jump to England. Though I have jumped to Chicago then Montreal and on to England a few times," I answered automatically, wondering why that was relevant to this discussion.

He tilted his head with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Strange coincidence, isn't it? Our friends appearing in both Russia and Alaska so soon after they were in St. Tropez, France, as well as Stara Zagora, Bulgaria..."

As his words trailed off, what he was saying sunk in. They weren't just randomly going through Europe. They were going to places I had known connections. My family's vacation home was located in St. Tropez and Viktor had been living in a magical long term care facility in Stara Zagora since he'd been tortured to insanity by the Lestrange brothers. My magical signature could be traced through my Apparition and they were following it once they had a definite location. These Death Eaters weren't looking for something. They were looking for someone.

Me.

"Oh fuck. It's me," I muttered to myself. I hoped that saying it out loud would make it sound ridiculous or something. It didn't. It still made perfect sense for them to be after me. Especially since there were still a large number of Death Eaters who would love to take out the annoying Mudblood.

Jasper became still beneath me. Then, before I could comprehend what was happening, I had been repositioned on his lap so that I was staring into his honey eyes.

"What do you mean, it's you?" he questioned in a firm voice that meant business. Four other pairs of golden eyes were trained on me, awaiting my answer.

I mentally face palmed myself. Why did I say that out loud around beings with super sensitive hearing? Oh right, because I'm a bloody moron.

"Nothing," I responded in what I hoped was a nonchalant voice.

"Don't lie to me, Hermione. I can feel when you are lying. Now tell me what you meant," Jasper growled, his eyes darkening.

"I don't mean to lie, but it's top secret Order business. I can't tell you. Nothing is the only answer I can give you," I retorted, getting just as angry as him. Probably from his own emotions influencing mine.

"Is there any chance I.D. is wrong about this?" I questioned, feeling rather old and weary at the moment. I massaged my temples while studiously avoiding Jasper's penetrating stare by twisting around to look at Blaise.

"Has I.D. ever been wrong?"

He made a good point. The Intelligence Division had never led us astray before. Gweneth didn't believe in making stupid mistakes. She knew our lives depended on the information she provided. Therefore, she made sure it was never wrong. Now Blaise's sudden appearance made sense. Not only was he well versed in their motives due to his digging as of late, but the Order wouldn't be leaving me alone with an obvious threat to my safety out there. Blaise was the most logical member to choose since he was well versed in the Dark Arts and the Death Eater mentality. Not to mention we worked well together.

"So you'll be sticking around then?"

He nodded.

"Is anyone else going to come _visit_?"

My emphasis on visit was not lost on him.

"Bill will be here tomorrow to help you and I with the major wards then he'll be going back to England. Flitwick will be here to perform the Fidelius Charm on Saturday along with whomever you choose as secret keeper."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Minerva and Kingsley told me to tell you that this is non-negotiable. I am inclined to agree with their decision after hearing the rumors circulating around the old circles."

"I don't mind the wards, but I don't want to do a Fidelius. You know I hate the idea of putting so much trust in one person, Blaise."

My grouchy tone did nothing to change his mind or his expression. His face remained stoic. In fact, his eyes became two cold stones that hinted at the man he turns into during battle. Those beautiful blue orbs that were usually so full of laughter had gained a dark, unforgiving gleam. He leaned close to me. Our faces were mere inches apart. With a menacing twist of his lips, he laid into me with a harsh, frightening whisper.

"I know you have your reasons, Cara, and they are just causes to doubt the will of one man- but this is our best route. The decision has been made and there is nothing you can do to change it. The wards and Fidelius Charm are not suggestions. They are fucking orders that I have been sent to ensure your stubborn ass follows. Now, you best get to thinking about who you trust the most because I have to relay your decision by tomorrow evening. Frankly, I don't care if you pick me or Potter or even Weasley to be your fucking Secret Keeper- As long as you pick someone who is willing to give their life should the occasion arise."

I growled. That's right. I growled at him for going into so much detail in front of the Cullens. Even if I knew he was right and only doing it out of his love for me, it still fucking irked me. Our eyes met and I narrowed mine with a slight motion towards our audience in order to warn him that this was not the time or place to discuss or argue about things further. His power pulsed out towards me with his carefully hidden anger at the situation in a way I haven't felt since the war ended.

"Fine," I managed to ground out.

"Fine," he returned with a satisfied smirk.

An awkward silence fell over the table. I realized that the vampires had been watching our exchange avidly. I avoided their eyes and decided it was time to lighten the mood a bit.

"Well, since you'll be sticking around, perhaps you could show some restraint and stop throwing yourself at anything with two legs and a vagina while you're here, Blaise. "

He cracked a charming smile, his dark mood receding at my teasing voice. For good measure he looked around the room with a lecherous eye. "You should know by now that I'm not very good at showing restraint, Cara."

He finished that statement with a sly wink to Rosalie. I glanced over to see how she took it and saw her mouth had dropped open in surprise. Emmett looked as if he was stuck somewhere between being angry and being amused at Zabini's cheek. His face had scrunched up into an odd constipated expression.

I laughed softly.

Merlin, did he ever speak the truth. The man was incapable of ignoring his rampant hormones. At this point, I decided to bring up the glamour charm I could faintly detect around his eye. "Obviously, since you are definitely hiding a black eye with a glamour charm. Tell me, did you get caught with her mother this time? Or was it her twin sister?"

His cheeks tinted pink a little at my jab about the infamous scandal that happened with Pavarti Patil just after the war. "Uh...neither. Funny story," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a guilty smile. " ...You see... Draco and I were having a go at this gorgeous little minx. Well, she turned out to be Adrian's little sister that had been hidden away at school in France for the past five years," he stuttered out somewhat sheepishly.

I felt my lips quirk into a smirk reminiscent of his.

"I take it Pucey didn't take too kindly to having the 'Slytherin Sex Gods' putting the moves on his little sister, then?"

"More like he didn't enjoy seeing his two best mates putting it _to_ his little sister.._.together_...beneath the stands of a Quidditch pitch," he corrected quietly.

"Oh bloody hell, Zabini. You'll be lucky if that's all he does to you. Not known for letting go of grudges, that one. Pucey is one vindictive asshole," I hooted through my insane laughter at yet another nasty little predicament he managed to get himself into.

"Stop laughing. It's not funny. I wouldn't have touched her if I'd known and what he did do to me fucking hurts. If you were a real friend you would put those wonderful healing skills to use for me," he pouted.

"Please, we both know that your pain tolerance is just as high, if not higher, than mine. So I'll laugh all I want and I won't be healing you because you deserved whatever he gave you. I swear, you and Malfoy get yourselves into the worst predicaments. Merlin, I have no idea where you get off acting like that because I know you were raised better...At least I can understand Malfoy's proclivity for such affairs because he is related to Sirius...It's just in his blood."

He tilted his head, much like a curious animal. "What does Sirius have to do with Malfoy getting himself into scrapes with the ladies?"

"Sometimes I forget that Sirius died before you joined the Order or else you would see the similarities between the two. Malfoy may have gotten that pale hair and impossibly white skin from his father, but I assure you that he got his eyes, good looks, and sexual prowess from the Black's. He is a less charismatic, more jaded, blond version of Sirius."

During my explanation his eyes had taken on a pensive quality as he considered my words. He shrugged. "I'll take your word for it, Granger."

"Don't you always?" I teased.

"Don't go getting a big head, woman, or I'll be forced to tie you up and summon the wonder twins with instructions to regale you with every lame joke they have ever made in the past year about George's missing ear just to deflate your ego a bit."

My lips quirked and I raised a skeptical eyebrow in challenge. "You wouldn't. Those jokes drive you more insane then they do me."

"Don't challenge me. I have no problem taking one for the team," he deadpanned as the shrill sound of the bell rang throughout the room.

I stood and wrapped my arms around Jasper, knowing that I had too many things to do and discuss with Blaise for him to come over today.

"I'm going to go ahead and head back to my house with Blaise."

His golden eyes searched out mine. They seemed to hold a bit of hurt in them as they danced across my face. "I'll see you later this afternoon, though, right?" he asked softly.

I smiled wryly. "Not tonight. Blaise and I are going to be busy catching up. I'll call you before I go to bed though."

His eyes dimmed even further at my words. Perhaps he sensed that I wasn't being entirely truthful via his gift. He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead, hugged me close, and walked away without saying another word. His dismissal hurt my feelings, but I kept my face perfectly schooled. I had no time to dwell on how majorly I probably just screwed up with him. The lives of people I loved were in danger because of me and I had to focus on making them safe.

As soon as Blaise and I were inside my Audi, I peeled out of the parking lot and headed out of Forks at top speeds. I navigated the roads expertly, knowing time was of the essence. We both understood that the time for fun and joking had passed. We were no longer two friends putting on a happy façade for my vampire boyfriend and his family. We were now soldiers whose sole mission was to make sure these sleepy little towns were safe from Death Eaters.

He and I tossed ideas around for protection back and forth before deciding that we would spend the rest of the day placing wards around both Port Angeles and Forks that would protect the towns and alert us if Dark magic was used or the Dark Mark cast into the sky. Tomorrow, we would erect the more complicated and extensive wards around my home and my parents dental practice when we had Bill's help.

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*** Quote by Harold Nicolson****

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23

**A/N: ****_I will be going out of town for vacation tomorrow, so I won't be posting until the week after next. Enjoy the super long chapter! _**I also want to give a huge thanks to both Michelle Amethyst and AmazingGrace36! This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good without their guidance, advice, and fantastical beta skills! You guys are awesome and I hope you keep reviewing!

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(JPOV)_

Red clouded my vision.

What the fuck? Did Hermione Granger think I was stupid?

First, she lied about the little "Oh fuck, it's me," comment that had slipped out by telling me it meant nothing when her emotions indicated that whatever realization she came to had her slightly freaked out. Then she does it again. Was she not aware that, as an empath, I was very good at sensing lies? Hell, that was something I had excelled at even as a human. Of course, I was even better at it now. It was one of the reasons I'd been such a good leader in both of my lives. I could sense bullshit from a mile away.

"Blaise and I are going to be busy catching up," my ass.

You didn't even need to be empathic to sense that huge, fuckin' obvious lie. The shifty eyes, nervous hand movements, and nibbling of the lip gave her away immediately. I was quite sure we had both agreed she was a horrible liar some time ago, so why she was still trying, I had no idea.

I walked away. I just walked away from my mate. It took every bit of my will power to do it since I existed _for_ her, to be _with_ her. But I managed to. I felt how my subtle brush off hurt her feelings, but I stared straight ahead towards the approaching doors. I couldn't bring myself to care. I refused to let myself care about her feelings at this point. Her dishonesty hurt me. Turnabout was fair play.

Right now, I was far too pissed to even be in her presence. I was aware that she couldn't tell me things, but I would rather her say that she couldn't answer my question than attempt to deceive me with half truths. I left the cafeteria and headed straight to the forest surrounding the school. I made the most of being alone and purposely lost control of my power.

I just needed the release.

Not five minutes later, both Hermione and Blaise walked across the parking lot with grim expressions on their faces. Their emotions were a complicated mix that made them seem like they were strategizing more than anything. Those two were up to something. Every gut instinct I possessed was screaming that something important was going on.

If not, why would he feel the need to say that her 'Secret Keeper', whatever that was, should be "willing to give their life should the occasion arise"? And on that note, what sort of secret was this Secret Keeper keeping? Why did she need someone to keep a secret?

But I digressed because these are questions I will probably never get answered and I know I wasn't fabricating my concerns as I looked at her soulful, worried eyes. Something was definitely going on that involved my mate and possibly her safety. Her earlier actions, coupled with the way she was speeding out of the parking lot and driving in the opposite direction from her home as if the devil himself was behind her, only confirmed it.

I ran back to the house before any of my siblings came looking for me. I tore down the driveway, headed straight for the highway out of Forks on my Ducati at breakneck speeds. I needed to blow off some steam after getting the brush off from my mate for another man. Yeah, my ego had been effectively crushed into fairy dust today. I just needed the time to think about everything without my family interfering..

I mean, honestly, could my life get any more confusing or complicated? I thought it'd been bad when I'd only been able to make educated guesses about what happened in her past, but this was different. I knew about some of the dangers she'd faced. I knew about how many times she had nearly died. I knew how dangerous her world was.

And she wouldn't tell me what was wrong when something obviously was. She didn't trust me.

I loved her, really, I did. She was amazing, interesting, strong, and beautiful. But this informational gap that still existed between us despite me having read five of her journals was a bit much to handle sometimes.

On that note, I shut all of my thought processes down. I didn't want to think about her betrayal anymore. I only wanted to concentrate on finding some semblance of calm so that I didn't further damage our relationship. That could only be achieved by thinking of nothing except for navigating the roads by memory and the picturesque scenery passing by.

I crossed the Idaho state line as the sun set for the evening and kept on driving East. My phone began ringing when I was nearly halfway across Montana. A glance at the caller I.D. revealed that it was the person responsible for my little jaunt across the North West United States. I was calm enough to talk to her now. No use puttin' it off. With a heavy sigh, I pulled off to the side of the road and answered.

"Hey Jasper," she greeted.

Her beautiful, angelic voice sounded tired. I couldn't help but wonder why she would be tired if they were just 'catching up'.

"Hermione," I returned stiffly.

"How was the rest of your day?"

I momentarily debated whether or not I should answer that truthfully, but decided that one of us lying was causing enough problems in our relationship. No use rockin' the boat even more.

"All right, I guess. I've enjoyed my drive."

All was silent for a few minutes after my answer except for the slight hitch in her breath. That was immediately followed by the pounding of her heart increasing.

"Your drive? Where did you go? When did you leave? Are you coming home?" She fired off questions in quick succession.

I felt my lips twist into a ghost of a smile at her familiar rapid fire personality. It was one of the many things I loved about her.

"I was upset after lunch. I needed to take a drive to clear my head. I'm in Montana right now, but I'm heading back home soon," I answered.

"I'm sorry. I hurt you and I really didn't mean to, Cowboy," she apologized quietly, realizing what had upset me.

"You lied to me," I stated even though all of my anger had dissipated with her heartfelt apology. But she didn't need to know that. I wasn't going to let her off the hook so easy. She needed to realize I wasn't going to tolerate being treated this way.

She sighed. "Jasper, I didn't mean to do it. It sort of slipped out on instinct because I've had to lie, twist, and sugar coat things for the past few years when people have asked questions I can't answer truthfully."

"That doesn't mean it hurt any less to know that you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth or at the very least that it was something you couldn't speak about."

I could just see her rubbing her temples as a slight huff of annoyance came over the phone.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Jasper, because I do. I trust you with my life. Hell, I love you! I definitely wouldn't have fallen in love with you if I didn't trust you," she ranted.

"You love me?" I asked, elated at her impromptu confession.

Her breath hitched and I distinctly heard her mutter a few naughty expletives. "Yes," she replied meekly, as if she were scared of my reaction.

I barely refrained from doing a very un-manly jig of happiness alongside the road. If Peter ever found out about that desire, I would definitely have to forfeit my man card. I could only pray that his spidey senses didn't start tingling with the typical 'Jasper is contemplating doing something completely un-man like and embarrassing' thing to clue him in.

"Good because I love you, too," I told her firmly.

"You do?"

I grinned at her uncertainty. "You're amazing. How could I not, Sweetheart? I've been in love with you since the moment I heard you talkin' to yourself in your car on your first day of school. As I got to know you, I fell even more in love. You were such an odd and fascinating little human," I teased good naturedly.

She groaned loudly. I could practically feel the mortification rolling off of her through the phone. "You heard that?"

A chuckle escaped, "Yep."

It was silent between us for a few minutes before I finally decided to get back on topic. Sure our little detour had been nice, but things were still unresolved. This issue needed to be cleared up so it wouldn't come between us in the future.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted a bit, Darlin'. It just upset me that you would lie to my face knowing I could sense it," I explained quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry about that. In the future, I'll tell you that I can't talk about it rather than trying to lie. But I need you to be willing to accept that answer because you must understand that there are things that may happen in my life that I won't tell you about. It's not because I don't trust you with that information, it's because I don't trust the people who may want that information. By not telling you, I'm protecting you from them. Does that make sense?"

I thought about her sort of twisted logic for a moment. I even went so far as to imagine if our roles were reversed before letting her know I was alright with that arrangement. We spoke for a few more minutes where she asked that I make sure the whole family was home tomorrow afternoon because she had some things she wanted to discuss with us.

I was curious, but refrained from asking questions. She sounded exhausted so I assured her of my love, wished her goodnight, and got off the phone. I immediately sent off a quick text to Alice, asking her to inform the family that we all needed to be home tomorrow then took off. The drive back to Forks passed much quicker than I expected, then again I didn't drive any slower than one hundred miles per hour the entire trip.

I pulled into our garage just shy of ten a.m. After greeting the family and letting them know that I really had no clue why we were all needed, but that Hermione requested us to be present, I took off for a quick hunt. My anger had really drained me yesterday and I didn't know who all would be at our house today so I didn't want to take chances.

The moment I made it to the mountains, my cell phone rang, effectively scaring off my would be lunch. I checked the display with a small growl of annoyance. I had spent enough time on the phone recently. I was tired of talking on it. However, the person calling managed to put a smile on my face. I sat down on a fallen log, singing along with the chorus before I picked up.

_ Well I love the sound of rain on a tin roof_  
_ On a hot summer night_  
_ Love to hear those hound dogs a-barkin'_  
_ Howlin' at the full moon light_  
_ Love to see those fireflies a buzzin'_  
_ Lighting up the Southern sky_  
_ Yeah I'm a hell bent 100% Texan till I die_

Never had truer words been sung about Peter and I. You could take the boys out of Texas, but you couldn't take the Texas out of the boys.

"Hey Lil' Fuck," I greeted as I accepted the call.

Lil' Fuck was a term of endearment I bestowed him with during our time in the Southern Wars. Even on his worst day as a vampire Peter still had morals. He'd never truly lost his humanity during his change. So finding a newborn raping a young human girl one night when he was baby-sitting them during feeding had naturally pissed him off. As soon as they'd made it back into the compound, he attacked him. By the time I'd broken up the brawl, I'd been too affected by their emotions and my own anger to recall his name, so I'd just called him Lil' Fuck while I'd ripped him a new one. It had been a very fitting name at the time, considering the fact that he'd been seriously fucking up a two month old vampire twice his size. I'd called him that ever since.

"How's life with Doc Dracula and his merry band of woodland hunters goin', Major?"

I chuckled softly at his question. Peter made up a ridiculous new name for our coven every time he called. This one wasn't as funny as the time he'd referred to us as 'The Mighty Morphing Vamp. Rangers', but it was definitely better than being referred to as the 'Neighborhood Dog Nappers' or 'Swiss Family Cullen'.

"It's the same as always. Go to school, play human, come home, play video games, drain a few deer, repeat."

"Really? And here I was thinking that witch you've been puttin' the moves on was making your life less boring. Especially when she has you wantin' to don a set of coconuts and dance the hula," he drawled.

"How the hell do you know about Hermione?" I questioned in exasperation. More so because he had in fact learned about my embarrassing desire to dance a jig yesterday than him knowing about her.

Honestly! He had to be pulling some sort of fucking Jedi mind tricks or shaking up a special magic 8 ball tuned to my life just so he could fucking annoy me. Those were the only explanations I was willing to consider for the cocky bastard to know everything that he knew. There was literally no way to keep secrets from this guy.

"I just know shit. I'm awesome."

I rolled my eyes at his predictable arrogant answer. "Well, Oh Great One, what else do you know?"

"Quite a bit, actually," was his simple smug reply.

"Please, do enlighten us less omniscient beings with your awe-inspiring knowledge."

He let loose a loud roar of laughter at my poorly disguised annoyance. The fucker lived to be the thorn in my side with this cryptic shit. It gave him unfathomable amounts of pleasure to get a rise out of me when he started randomly meddling in my life like this.

"Among other things, I know that she is your mate. I know that she's scared of her feelings for you. I know that the things you've read about so far in her journals are nothing compared to what is to come."

He stopped to let the depth of his knowledge sink in, even though it was nothing I didn't already know. I could just see the smug smirk on his face. His pause was overly long considering we were vampires. Somehow, I knew he wasn't done speaking on the subject. Just as I was about to prompt him about his 'among other things' comment, he continued.

"However, I also know that friend of hers is here for a reason she literally cannot tell you about. So you need to stop being a douche and accept her answers whether they are lies or not. Your suspicions are also correct. Some serious shit is fixin' to go down real soon and it isn't going to be what her and her little Italian friend are expecting. I'm about fifty percent certain that you are going to be caught smack dab in the middle of her past."

"Whoa, wait. Back the fuck up and explain," I growled, my entire body becoming rigid as he confirmed my fears.

"I don't know any real details Major," he sighed, recognizing my tone of voice. "All I know is that vampires will have no place getting involved in whatever happens. It'll be something we've never seen before. I also know that no matter what you need to trust her to protect you. You have to let her protect you."

I felt my beast trying to claw its way out and take over my body. It was already there on the edge of my conscience just waiting to be unleashed on those who would dare involve my mate in a situation where I couldn't protect her. My fear for her safety was speaking straight to my protective instincts. Those were warring with my rationality in an attempt to let me unleash him. But for now, I pushed those instincts back. I had to let my rationality win. I had to find out as much information as possible.

"Peter, You can't just tell me that my_ very human_, _very breakable_ mate is going to be caught up in some serious shit then tell me that I have to let her protect me," I spit out through clenched teeth.

"I can and I did. Now, I know you don't want to hear this shit, but you need to before you go all cave-man on Hermione and scare her off. Your mate isn't as fragile as you think. She may have shown you magic here and there, but I promise that you have no fucking clue what she's capable of. She's got more power in her pinky than we have in our entire body. So when the time comes and she needs to protect you -then you better fucking follow her every order to a T. You'll die if you don't sit down, shut up, and let her protect you, Major."

I didn't bother saying another word. I ended the call and shoved the phone into my pocket. My brain was just too messed up to talk. I needed to destroy some things and process all the shit Peter had just thrown at me in the past ten minutes.

My suspicions were correct. My mate was aware that she was going to be involved in something dangerous. I was probably going to be there and I wasn't supposed to fight. I was supposed to let her protect me.

I was the fucking God of War. Vampires bowed before me. The Volturi, the most powerful vampires in the world, wouldn't even fuck with me. The pure malice I was capable of was legendary. Immortal beings all over the world fucking quaked with terror at the sight of me because of the sheer amount of havoc I was capable of wreaking in my fury. It is a well known fact that the God of War was a walking, talking plague of destruction that showed no mercy to those who defied him.

And I was supposed to let my mate face some pitiful, insignificant humans without me at her side because vampires had no place there?

What the fuck did Peter think he was doing calling and telling me that shit? How the fuck was I supposed to just sit back and let her protect me? How was I supposed to watch her fight when I knew I should be by her side? That went against every instinct I had.

I was the vampire.

She was the human.

I protected her.

Not the other way around.

As I stared at the extensive carnage around me, my fists tightly clenched by my sides and chest heaving to supply pointless oxygen to my lungs, my usual calm demeanor and rational thought began creeping back. My anger at her and the circumstances was futile. It would do nothing to change whatever will happen and only make the situation worse.

I was aware that Peter told me this for my own good. He knew I was already suspecting something. He knew I would need this forewarning, this little bit of time to lose control and give into my instincts. Especially after yesterday. He knew this would be something I would have to come to terms with.

His gift had never let me down in the past. He had never led me astray with his advice. If he believed that my interference would lead to my death then there must be a reason. There must be a factor that I was unaware of. Therefore, I would to do the logical thing until I knew more information. I would have to sit back and let things unfold. I would have to heed his advice and let her protect me.

As long as it didn't put her life in danger.

If it did then I would not hesitate to join the fight. I would not hesitate to unleash my wrath on any who dared threaten her. I would not hesitate to make them bow before me and beg for mercy using the exclusive cocktail of dread, terror, intimidation, subservience, malice, and reverence that had served me so well during the wars.

Having a tentative plan of action in place further lulled me back into a calm state. With my decision made, I quickly hunted down a few mountain lions then made my way back to the house. As I passed through the kitchen, I noted that it was already past noon. Between my conversation with Peter and immediately letting anger rule me, I had managed to kill over two hours.

After I had showered and changed, I sat on the stairs with my sketchpad so that I could draw as I waited for Hermione. I knew she would appear outside of the house with her guest rather than inside. She had mentioned it being rude to just pop into someone's home when she explained Apparition to me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't getting much done in the way of artwork. I was too busy weighing the pros and cons of a last minute decision I'd made on my run back. I had hesitantly decided that I would share my information with her. I couldn't keep Peter's knowledge to myself. I wanted, no needed, to tell her that things weren't going to work out as planned. She needed to be prepared for things to go awry. My phone beeped as I changed my mind for the hundredth time since my run.

I fished my phone from my pocket and opened the message. **_"Tell her."_**

Two simple words, but they were some of the most important I had ever read. I was feeling more confident now that I knew Peter was definitely keeping an eye on this situation for me and weighing the odds via his gift as I came up with different scenarios. Good to know my brother had my back.

Two hours and three minutes later, my angel finally made her appearance. Just as I suspected, she appeared in the clearing in front of our house rather than inside. Hermione was holding the hands of Blaise and a man I did not recognize. He was a tall, but stocky ginger with bright blue eyes, a fang earring, and what looked suspiciously like claw marks running from his forehead to his chin. The heavy scars twisted and marred his handsome features, giving his persona a dangerous air. He exuded power and relaxed confidence as they soundlessly made their way towards the veranda.

For some reason, I liked him immediately.

I stood and walked to meet them. I needed to speak with them first, then we could include the rest of the family. As I got closer, my nose twitched from the slightly wild smell coming from the red head. It was an odd musty, but earthy smell. Not unpleasant, just different. He obviously wasn't completely human, but not entirely wild either. Strange.

I swept Hermione up into my arms as soon as she was within my reach. I needed to hold her and feel her against me after our disagreement yesterday. "God I love you so much sweetheart. Let's never fight again," I sighed, kissing her neck lovingly as her wondrous scent wrapped around me.

"I love you too," she whispered into my shoulder as she clung to me.

Once she was back on two feet, I properly greeted Blaise before turning to meet the redheads outstretched hand with my own.

"Bill Weasley."

Well his name definitely explained the shocking shade of his hair. According to Hermione, the Weasley family is the only one in Britain with such bright hair. It makes them easily identifiable.

"Jasper Whitlock," I paused after we let our hands go and turned to Hermione with what I'm sure was a serious expression. She bit her lip as she studied my face. "I would like to speak with the three of you privately before we meet with the others," I requested.

Her brow furrowed as did the other two, but they followed as I led them away from the house. Once I felt we were a safe enough distance away I stopped and turned to face them, thumbs hooked in the pockets of my jeans.

"Guys, I'm not stupid. I know something is going on." I held my hand up to stop their interruptions before they could get them out. "However, I know that you cannot tell me what. Peter made that very clear when he called today and told me to stop acting like a douche towards you Hermione," I finished with a playful roll of my eyes.

Her lips tipped up in a smile. "Smart man, this Peter. Who is he?"

Right…she hasn't heard about him. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Remember how I told you I lived a very different life before Alice found me and brought me to the Cullen family?"

She nodded and the other two were radiating a shit load of curiosity. They obviously wanted to know everything about the vampire dating her. I closed my eyes, unwilling to see the look on her face as I spoke of my horrific and shameful past as vaguely as possible.

"The life I led, well…it wasn't the sort of life you discuss in casual conversation. It was rough and it was brutal. During the century I spent alongside my sire, Maria, I created a lot of vampires. Most of them didn't survive more than a year in the environment we lived in. However two of them did. Peter and his mate Charlotte. They are very special to me. They saved me from that life when they had no real reason other than the fact that we are family by venom bond. They are my brother and sister in every sense of the word due to our history together. I just choose to live here with the Cullen's since I cannot feed from humans like they do because of my empathic abilities."

She smiled at my explanation, feeling unwavering love, sadness, acceptance, curiosity and a plethora of other emotions that made me want to bliss out. I had expected disgust or hate, so these were much more preferable. I had no doubt that I was probably sporting a goofy ass grin in response to them.

"So how did he know that we couldn't tell you what is going on?" Bill questioned.

Perceptive. He caught that I never claimed to have called Peter. He didn't miss the fact that I mentioned Peter calling me.

"Peter has a gift. It's very complicated and I really don't understand how it works, but to put it simply, he just knows shit. Especially when it comes to me. I sort of think the jackass purposely tunes into my life for his own entertainment, but whatever. My point is that I haven't spoken to him about Hermione yet, but he called today spoutin' off all this shit he knows and ripped me a new one for being an idiot yesterday, even after you apologized."

I offered a guilty smile as she met my eyes with her own remorseful, but incredibly intrigued ones. The others were seriously interested in this. They were feeling a strong mixture of emotions regarding his talents.

Blaise got my attention by clearing his throat. "But that is not all Peter had to say… There is more?"

I nodded at the Italian. He was more intelligent than I gave him credit for yesterday. He was capable of reading between the lines. Perhaps my territorial jealousy over their comfortable banter and shared past clouded my judgment regarding him.

"He also told me that whatever is supposed to happen is going to happen soon. It also isn't going to be what you guys are expecting. Things aren't going to go as planned. I'm not sure what that means since I don't know what is happening, but I urge you to trust his intuition and be prepared for several scenarios. His gift has never led me astray and has saved my life countless times in our near two centuries together."

The three nodded their acceptance. I could feel that they were taking this information seriously. Both Hermione and Blaise had penseiv looks on their faces. The three of them shared looks, communicating without words. It was uncanny to see that they all knew one another so well.

I wrapped my arm around Hermione once the silent conversations stopped and we headed back to the house with her soft body molding into mine as we walked. I could see that the rest of the family was on the porch waiting. They were curious about what happened between the four of us, but I could tell that they wouldn't ask since it was obviously private.

"Speaking of vampires, Sanguini mentioned seeing Mundungus lurking around Knockturn Alley last night," Bill commented idly.

Both Hermione and Blaise's heads whipped towards the ginger. She stiffened against my side. "Did he eat him?" she questioned, her face lit up with a hopeful smile.

I frowned in confusion with the rest of my family who were now able to hear what we were talking about. Eat him? Why would she want this Mundungus character to be eaten?

Bill shook his head and her expression fell. Her disappointment and annoyance seeped into my very being through our connection. Even Blaise looked upset.

"What the fuck is the point of being allies with human drinking vampires if they won't even kill worthless, piece of shit, thieving, cowardly, traitors like Mundungus Fletcher when they see them?" Hermione growled.

We were all shocked by her acceptance of the human drinking diet. Even more so that she was wishing harm on this person. But I knew better than any of them that she probably had a good reason. I decided to change the topic before someone questioned it further, so I began by introducing Carlisle and Esme to Blaise then the others to Bill.

Of course Emmett, being Emmett, completely lost control of his verbal filter when he blurted out "Dude, what in the hell happened to your face? Those scars are wicked!" as I introduced him to Bill.

Hermione snickered as Rosalie whacked Em and Esme berated him for being rude. It didn't even phase the ginger, in fact, he was feeling a bit nostalgic by their actions. "You weren't kidding when you said he reminded you of Fred and George were you?" he asked Hermione with a playful nudge.

It was times like these that I could sense the deep bond between them. They were like brother and sister as well as comrades from a time of war. It was an amazing thing to feel. Their unconditional loyalty towards one another was unlike any other I had ever felt among humans.

She shook her head and he offered Emmett a toothy grin. "I had a bit of a run in with a Werewolf a few years ago."

"Sweet! I've always wanted to fight a Werewolf!" Emmett crowed.

"I wouldn't advise it Emmett. They tend to fight dirty," Blaise drawled."Besides," he continued with a smirk towards Hermione, "Granger here is all about the protection and preservation of magical creatures. She wouldn't be too happy if you just went hunting for one to fight. And believe me, she's scary when she's pissed."

My girl flicked her wrist, muttered a few words, then watched with a smirk as yellow birds started dive bombing and attacking Blaise. I dropped a kiss on her head after pushing a bit of amusement and pride to her as we laughed at his attempts to beat the birds away. After a bit more small talk, Hermione's face took on an all business expression. It was one I noticed she donned whenever she had something important to discuss or do.

"I asked you all to be here today because I would like your permission to place some magical enchantments around your home," she stated, getting directly to the point.

"Why?"

She looked at Edward with barely veiled annoyance. He truly got on her nerves with his suspicious attitude. Or perhaps it was his constant attempts to read her mind. Either way, she could barely stand being around him most of the time. I shared her sentiments about the nosy fucker.

"I am here quite often visiting Jasper and, in order for that to continue, the home needs to be warded just as strongly as my own."

"Because…"

Bill cleared his throat after glancing at our varied facial expressions. He clearly read that some of us were merely curious while others were suspicious and apprehensive.

"I assure you that we mean no harm, Edward. Hermione is a very, very important person in our world due to her past as well as the fact that she will soon be Co-heading the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. She should have enacted the proper security measures the moment she arrived, but she didn't. On orders of the Minister of Magic, we have been rectifying that situation today. She merely wanted to ward your home as well since she spends so much of her time here."

I could sense the slightest bit of deceitfulness in his words. But they were mostly true. Though, the revelation that she would be working for the Ministry _was_ news to me. Perhaps it hadn't come up in conversation yet. Either way, it didn't matter too much at the moment. If she wanted to work at the Ministry, she could. I just wanted her to be happy.

Hermione offered a grateful smile to him for his explanation. He was obviously a very diplomatic man because he had managed to placate Edward. Something I'm not sure I've ever witnessed anyone besides Carlisle succeeding in.

She shot me a meaningful glance and I understood what she was telling me without words. Those reasons he voiced weren't the only reasons they were wanting to add wards here. Perhaps it has something to do with her protecting me. I voiced my acceptance as Peter's warning that I must let her do so rang through my mind. Thank goodness I'm so good at keeping Edward out of my head or he surely would have been on my ass about that.

The rest of the family followed soon after. Edward was the last one to agree and he only did so because of Alice. By this time, Blaise had conjured jars with each of our names on them and passed them out.

"I need each of you to release some of your venom into your jar. That way the wards will recognize your person and anyone related to you via venom or DNA. They will also allow you to bring guests along, but you must be touching them when you pass through," he instructed as Hermione and Bill started waving their wands in intricate motions.

Incredibly complex shapes began shimmering in the air. "Same wards as at your home?"

She glanced at him. "Not quite. First things first, I want them to require a mandatory blood sacrifice for complete removal. I also want the trap between layers three and four to set off the first silent alarm. The one between five and six should have severe consequences." Hermione commented idly as she continued her intricate dance.

"Death?" Bill asked in a very nonchalant manner, as if this was a common consequence for whatever these things are.

She shook her head. "How about a shock strong enough to knock them out for a few hours, as well as immediate incarceration?"

He nodded along with her suggestion and I watched the shapes begin to move faster between them. They formed a strange rainbow of brilliant colors as the two of them added, removed, and rearranged them into some semblance only their kind would understand.

As time went on, a complex shape was carved into the ground before them by Blaise. It vaguely resembled one of the transmutation circles from The Full Metal Alchemist Anime series Alice was so obsessed with.

We all stared, completely entranced with this complex bit of magic they were performing. Blaise came and collected our now filled jars of venom and brought them back to the carving. Hermione stepped into the center and the other two took up a position on the outer edges.

Simultaneously, the three began chanting in a strange language. Vivid gold, red, and purple lights began flashing between them. They wound around their bodies in a sensuous caress then hovered above the ground. While Blaise and Bill continued their incantations, Hermione stopped and began emptying our venom at her feet. Each vial was absorbed into the magic with a different and shocking flash of color.

After the last bit of venom was added, Hermione pulled out a glinting silver dagger. I immediately deduced what she was intending to do and frantically whispered for the others to hold their breath. We watched as she forcefully drug it across her palm. The crimson liquid seeped from both her hand and the dagger onto the ground causing the lights to flash a blinding gold around all of us before they disappeared.

"Amazing…" Carlisle whispered, his voice and emotions laden with awe at the power pulsing throughout the air. We all shared his sentiment. Magic was so damn cool to see.

Bill then took the time to make sure Hermione's hand was fully healed and explain the wards to us. The things the magical enchantments were capable of doing were absolutely incredible. Once that was done, we all went to the living room to relax. Hermione perched herself on my lap and I held her close as she argued with Bill and Blaise about the logistics behind some sort of spell that I couldn't understand. It didn't bother me. I was just enjoying having her in my arms. I had missed her so much it was unreal.

"Oh! Mum wanted me to let you know that just because you and Ron are fighting doesn't mean you aren't welcome for family dinners," Bill stated absentmindedly with a slight shrug. Like it was something he nearly forgot to mention.

She stiffened in my lap, bringing me out of my pointless musings. "I refuse to go anywhere near that idiot until he apologizes," she retorted with both arms crossed across her chest as she radiated a ton of anger and annoyance.

Curiosity started radiating off of Bill in waves along with a bit of amusement and glee. He scooted to the edge of his chair. "What has that git done this time?"

"When I told Ron I was moving here with my parents, he started yelling at me. He claimed that I'm selfish and only ever think of myself," She snorted bitterly at the end of that statement.

Bill's amusement disappeared and was replaced with rage. Pure, white hot, rage. He stood and began pacing back and forth across the living room furiously with the entire family watching.

"He accused _you_ of being selfish?_ You_? What the fuck is wrong with that little prick? Does he not remember that _you _have made more sacrifices than any of us? That he knew his entire family was safe while you had to send yours away? Does he not remember that while he ran away crying to mummy and daddy like a little bitch when things got tough, you stood by Harry's side and worked towards completing the mission set to you by Albus?"

By the end of his rant he had stopped pacing and was staring at us with narrowed blue eyes. The air was literally crackling with power around him. "I've got to go. I have a little brother who needs some sense knocked into him. It was lovely to meet you all," he exclaimed before disappearing with a loud crack.

All was silent as we stared at the spot where he had been standing in shock. That was one hell of a rant and it made me eager to read hte rest of her journals so that I could understand everything he alluded to in that little speech. Finally Blaise burst out with a soft chuckle. "Oh, I'd hate to be Ron right now."

Hermione relaxed against me with a laugh of her own. She didn't feel guilty at all. In fact, she felt sort of justified if I was reading her emotions correctly.

"Tell me about it. He'd better hope Bill gets it all out of his system quickly, otherwise he'll sic Fred and George on him," she agreed with a snicker.

From there their conversation continued as they discussed the dynamics of the Weasley family. The rest of my family disbanded to do their own thing. While they talked, I occasionally taunted Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie while they played Rockband. Overall it was a good night. Especially when Alice had a vision that it would storm in town, but not at our baseball clearing tomorrow.

Before I was aware what had happened, the devious little pixie had Carlisle offering to get Hermione excused from school with a doctors excuse while the rest of us would be absent for a camping trip. I couldn't deny that I was excited for her to be coming to watch us play. I'd get to show off my mad skills. It didn't take much convincing to get her to agree to come either.

After she went home for the night, I joined Edward and Emmett to help pass the time. The three of us played Modern Warfare until Hermione and Blaise appeared in our living room the next morning. I abandoned my controller to scoop her into my arms. "Mornin', Sweetheart," I whispered before I proceeded to kiss the hell of her.

Alice danced into the room a few minutes after we had calmed down with the rest of the family on her heels. "It's time," she said, handing Blaise and I each a baseball jersey, as well as handing Hermione a smaller one. I could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance and smell the rain in the air. She was right, it would be storming soon.

At vampire speed I whipped my shirt off and replaced it with the one from Alice right there in the living room. Hermione stared at me mouth agape then looked at her jersey with trepidation. I think she thought we expected her to change in front of us which is most certainly not the case. Especially not with her human speed. There is no way in hell anyone is going to see my mate topless for that amount of time when there were other options.

"The bathroom is the first door on the right down the hall," I told her with a smile.

She nodded and disappeared down the hall. While she was gone, Blaise took the time to change. All of us noticed, but didn't comment, on the severe scarring present on his torso. I knew it was from the war and Carlisle probably surmised that's where they came from, but the others were just confused and slightly worried at the sight.

Emmett got rid of the awkwardness by starting our usual pre-game trash talk which I lost track of because I felt a small burst of mischievous amusement from the general direction of the hall. I momentarily wondered what my angel was doing, but I sensed her approach so I figured I wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Emmett and the others went ahead and left for the clearing, baseball equipment in tow, while I stayed behind to wait on Hermione.

She cleared her throat softly as she entered and I turned towards her. The sight that met my eyes filled me with pride, love, and a shit-fuck of lust. Standing in the doorway to the living room was Hermione wearing her form-fitting blue and white base-ball jersey. Across the chest of said jersey was the phrase _**'Team Jasper'**_ in huge black letters. Before I realized what I was doing, she was in my arms with her back flush against the door frame with my mouth attached to hers.

Seeing my name on her body marking her as mine awakened the animal within me quicker than smelling blood ever has. She was mine and everyone could see it. I suddenly couldn't wait for the day she allowed me to turn her. She would forever wear the crescents of my bite-marks upon her neck, wrists, and ankles. She would be marked as mine for eternity.

I purred as her love and desire washed over me. She kissed me back with fervor. I pulled back to let her catch her breath and inhaled deeply. The tangy sweet smell of her arousal tinged the air. I quickly dipped my head back down for another kiss and lifted her so that her legs were wrapped around my waist. As she ground herself against me, I very nearly ran her up to my bedroom where I could properly take care of that arousal. Baseball game be damned.

"I take it you like my alterations then?" she asked slyly once I had put a stop to our make-out session.

"I love seeing my name on that pretty little body of yours, Darlin'. More than you will ever know," I drawled, grinding my erection into her while pressing a quick kiss to her lips and wrapping my arms around her body. "I hope you don't mind going for a run."

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	24. Chapter 24

Ch. 24

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait guys! A few unexpected things came up and lengthened my vacation. But, I'm back and ready to get this show on the road! **I also want to give a huge thanks to AmazingGrace36 for being the most awesome Beta ever! _I also want to say that you guys are AWESOME! I got nearly 70 reviews for the last chapter!_

As Always,

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_A quick recap of Ch.23:_

_I purred as her love and desire washed over me. She kissed me back with fervor. I pulled back to let her catch her breath and inhaled deeply. The tangy sweet smell of her arousal tinged the air. I quickly dipped my head back down for another kiss and lifted her so that her legs were wrapped around my waist. As she ground herself against me, I very nearly ran her up to my bedroom where I could properly take care of that arousal. Baseball game be damned._

_"I take it you like my alterations then?" she asked slyly once I had put a stop to our make-out session._

_"I love seeing my name on that pretty little body of yours, Darlin'. More than you will ever know," I drawled, grinding my erection into her while pressing a quick kiss to her lips and wrapping my arms around her body. "I hope you don't mind going for a run."_

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

_(HPOV)_

Jasper took off like a rocket into the forest. Still lost in a haze of lust from our kiss in the kitchen, I didn't notice anything around me at first. Never had I expected to get such a reaction from him just by performing such a simple bit of magic. But I wasn't one to complain…that had definitely been the most passionate kiss I'd ever had in my life. And good lord! The feel of him grinding against me! I'd never had a man react to me that way before. It was just so primal…so needy… It made me feel so wanted and beautiful when he reacted in such an animalistic manner.

In all actuality, this was all so surreal. I mean, here I was, the Gryffindor bookworm with no experience whatsoever, dating the sexiest vampire on the planet. The same vampire who had confessed his love for me - Me! The know it all, bushy haired, bookworm- not even forty-eight hours ago despite the fact that I nearly screwed things up between us with my non-stop bout of word vomit on Wednesday.

Man that was just an all around shitty day. First, Blaise appears to tell me I've got bloody Death Eaters tracking me. Then I'm informed I have to pick a stupid Secret Keeper when I definitely don't want one. And to make things worse, I fucked things up with Jasper. If Blaise hadn't consoled me and talked some sense into me that evening when I broke down into tears of frustration, I'm not sure what I would have happened. I just know that it probably wouldn't have been pretty.

The swirl of colors finally registered in my Jasper-addled brain as we darted through the trees. That definitely put a stop to my musings and made my stomach turn. It seemed like flying all over again with how fast everything passed us. Ugh. I really, really hated this feeling. I buried my face into his broad chest, drinking in his musky scent and letting it sooth me. I really needed to invite him over and let him roll around on my bed again. I slept so much better when I could breathe in his lingering scent than when it had worn off, like last night and the night before.

A few minutes later, we came to a gentle stop and he placed me back on my own feet. I wobbled around the grassy clearing in an attempt to find my legs again. He wrapped his large hands around my waist to steady me after I nearly face planted. "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked with some concern.

I gave him a shaky smile and shot a dirty look towards Blaise, who was sporting an annoying smirk at the sickened expression I could feel twisting my face.

"Yeah. The way everything blended together sort of threw me off. I'll be alright."

"Sorry, I should have warned you about the speed," he apologized with a kiss atop my riotous curls.

I waved his apology off as the family split into two teams. Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett versus Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward. We were invited to join since magic would even the playing field for us against them, but since we were both British and magical, neither of us really knew the rules of the game. We declined. Instead, Blaise and I sat out to referee with Esme. After all, she had claimed we needed as many eyes as possible since the others were prone to cheating and fighting.

With muttered trash talking from both sides, the game commenced. Esme pointed out things such as the different pitches and rules for stealing bases to us. As the game progressed, the speed and general pace of it surprised me. Vampire baseball was like nothing I'd ever seen, which was saying something considering I'd watched many eventful Quidditch matches throughout the years.

Being able to watch Jasper play was amazing. He was in his element and definitely doing his best to show off. He was teasing me in a blatantly obvious manner, which Esme found fairly entertaining when she wasn't drooling after Carlisle. When it was Jasper's turn to bat, he would give me a knowing smirk over his shoulder while he took a batter's stance with his perfectly round, tight arse pushed out just a little more than necessary in my direction. The little shake he would give it as he pretended to loosen his arms up was positively sinful.

I was fairly certain I had drool dribbling down my chin during those moments.

By the sixth inning, Alice's team was down by three, but they were up to bat. Blaise had grown bored with the game and was forming random animal bubbles from the end of his wand and sending them my way. Once they were near me, I would lazily send a severing spell to pop them. Just as Carlisle winded up to pitch, a harsh, cold wind swept through the clearing. I stiffened and cringed at the familiarity that wind held. Only dark magic created winds that made your hair stand on end like that. My senses came alive. They were practically crackling from the sudden magical presence in the area.

Blaise and I locked gazes. I could see the same recognition in his eyes.

"Stop!" I cried in a panic as the severity of our situation began to sink in.

I was mentally working to calm my rising panic. Blaise was immediately by my side, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. I knew that he was telling me to get a hold of myself without words. This wasn't that big of a surprise after all. We had been warned that things weren't going to go as planned. We just didn't expect _them_ to find _us_... in the middle of a forest.

Carlisle's hand fell and Rosalie let the bat fall to the ground with a clunk. The vampires all turned towards us in confusion. Jasper flitted to my side, worried by our sudden shift in emotions.

They were coming. I could feel it. I could sense the magic shifting. I turned in a slow circle trying to discern any abnormalities in the shadows, my wand clenched tightly in my right hand. Blaise mirrored my actions.

"Get over here. Now!"

They all seemed surprised by my harsh whispered demand, but came closer anyways due to the intensity in my voice. I could sense the other magical beings getting closer. My eyes continued to dart around the clearing.

I turned towards Blaise. "They're defenseless," I said with a panicked nod towards the vampires now crowding around us.

"They need to leave, Cara. They're a liability. We cannot fight and protect them at the same time," he growled.

I quickly tried to Apparate out of the forest, but instead felt like I was slamming into a wall. Fuck.

"Anti-Apparition wards have already gone up, Blaise. That's what we felt when the magic shifted. We can't get them out safely and I sure as hell am not sending them off on their own. We don't know how many of them there are. We cannot send them out into a forest that may be full of an enemy they know nothing about," I stated forcefully as I let my eyes roam the tree line once again.

"Contain them like we did the Muggles in Budapest."

I nodded; that situation had worked out quite well, all things considering. It was a solid plan. I felt my eyes harden with determination. I turned towards the Cullens. The confusion and worry was visible in their eyes.

"Hermione? What's going on? Is it what Peter was talking about? What fight could there be? What does he mean 'contain them'?" Jasper questioned, his voice taking on a panicked tone and his golden eyes darkening rapidly.

"Some of my kind are here…they aren't the friendly sort. Please just…you have to let me protect you," I muttered softly.

He looked torn and reluctant. The others looked like they were about to start arguing so I didn't waste any time in constructing the strongest shield I knew around them. Visible and tinted blue, it arched over them to keep them inside and everything else out. Once it was done, I paused in front of them.

"You are safe here, but if something happens, if Blaise and I die, it will disappear. If we fall,** they will kill you**. So you must run. You don't stop, you don't hide, you don't fight. You run as far away from Forks, Washington as you can as fast as you can," I whispered fiercely.

"Well, well, well...nice to see you again... Granger," an all too familiar voice called out from the edge of the clearing. That voice sent a chill of fear down my spine as it dredged up every horrible memory I associate with it.

My eyes immediately whipped in that direction to match the face to the voice. A masked figure stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing with his dark cloak billowing behind him. With a wave of his hand, the silver skeletal mask that had haunted my dreams for years disappeared, revealing none other than Antonin Dolohov.

His eyes fell onto the dark figure beside me and his lips curled over his decayed teeth. "Once I'm done with the Mudblood here, I'll teach you a lesson about betraying your master, Zabini," he promised.

I could see his green eyes drift from us to the vampires behind us several times, ascertaining the relationship between us, while a cruel smirk started forming on his lips.

"I see you're still an arrogant asshole, Antonin. Do you still fight like a cowardly bitch as well?" I taunted to get his attention away from the Cullens.

His eyes snapped back to me and he sneered in disdain. "Don't pretend you aren't scared to see me again..._** Poppet**_."

Internally, I cringed at being called Poppet. It's what he has called me since the first time we met in the Department of Mysteries and he insinuated that he wanted my body. It just rubs me the wrong way to hear him practically purr that word at me in what he deems a seductive manner. It makes me uncomfortable and sends shivers of disgust down my spine every time.

He looked at Blaise and tilted his head to the side. "Tell me, Zabini, are the rumors true? Does the Mudblood still wake up screaming from the memories of the way I tortured that filthy little body of hers in the dungeons?"

Several ferocious growls reverberated in the clearing at his words. The sheer dark, angry power pulsing out of Blaise was staggering. He was fucking pissed. I put a hand on him in restraint. We couldn't be the first to attack. We just had to let Dolohov play his cards first and react accordingly because Merlin knew he was a sneaky little fucker. That didn't mean I was going to drop my defensive stance though. I tightened my grip on my wand and subtly shifted my weight to my left foot, which was slightly behind me.

"It's really too bad they rescued you. I was having so much fun listening to you scream...making you beg for death."

"You're a sick fuck, Antonin. Must be a side effect of the inbreeding," I sneered defiantly over his taunts, determined not to let him see how much those memories affected me .

"Mmm…I can already see that you're going to let that famous little temper of yours out to play this time. I do love it when you fight back, Poppet. It makes our little game so much more satisfying."

The lecherous, desire filled look in his eyes as they swept across my body, lingering on my breasts, made bile rise in my throat. I swallowed it back.

_Oh yeah__,__ asshole? You want a fight? Well this time you've bit off more than you can chew. I'm no longer the inexperienced little girl I used to be. The time for talking and taunting is over. Let's fucking end the dramatics and fight already. _I thought towards him viciously._  
_

He took my refusal to comment and the slightly demented smirk that tilted my lips as the challenge it was. I could see it in the cruel gleam of his eyes as he appraised me. His every glance was filled with a dark intent that sent my magic into a frenzy. It buzzed and cackled around me, setting my every nerve ending aflame and my adrenaline pumping throughout my body, preparing me for the fight I knew would be coming.

I countered the steps taken towards me into the clearing with several to the back and left. Away from Blaise and my vampire family. This wasn't their fight. It was mine. Dolohov met mine with several forward and to his right. He was stalking me as a predator stalked its prey. With those subtle movements, we began an intricate game of chess where one mistake could mean checkmate. The end of the game. The death of the King.

It was now the time to slip back into my war-time persona. I felt all of my emotional attachments leaving my mind and my brain falling back into a purely clinical strategist mode. He gave me a familiar smirk as we danced an intricate dance, waiting for the other to make their move. However, the moment he set off a set of green sparks in the air, I realized that this wasn't going to be just me and him like I had anticipated. The slick fucker had an ace in the hole. I glowered at him darkly, cursing the Death Eater's inability to host a fair fight. Just once, I would like a good one on one instead of two or more on one. It would be a nice change of pace.

Three black clouds of swirling smoke immediately came hurtling through the trees fifteen feet off the ground. Two swooped down and rammed into Blaise while the other came towards me. As I braced myself for the impact I knew from experience I wouldn't be able to avoid, I was already calculating the next moves I would make to gain the upper hand in this fight along with several back up strategies to escape with my family.

The dark smoke engulfed me and slammed me into a thick tree on the far side of the clearing. I felt my left shoulder dislocate with a sickening pop. The back of my head also grazed the bark, but I didn't dare worry about the pain in the middle of what I could already tell was going to be a harsh battle. I'd fought through worse, I would fight through this.

The person previously hidden behind the smoke appeared in front of me sans Death Eater mask. Rodolphus Lestrange. I should have known he wouldn't miss a chance to kill and wreak all sorts of havoc on my world. He, his wife, and Dolohov really were alike in that sense. They all got pleasure out of creating mass chaos. Typical sociopaths, really.

"For such an inferior being, you were a pain in the ass to track, Granger…" he sneered with his hand pressed against my throat, wand digging into my temple.

I could see the barely veiled mania in his person. He sported the same endlessly shifty eyes, jerky movements, and insane laughter as his late wife. Hopefully, he got just as sloppy as she did when her buttons were pushed. That would work to my advantage in this fight.

"Funny, I wasn't even trying to hide. You must be a shitty tracker. I've actually been waiting on you for awhile. I was beginning to think you forgot about that little promise you made me during the Final Battle, Rodolphus," I stated in a tone that hinted at my boredom with the situation just to gauge how much it would take for me to push him over the edge.

He yanked my head back so that his rancid, hot breath was coming across my face in angry huffs. "Oh, I could never forget about you, Mudblood. After all, we do have a bit of a score to settle, don't we? So what do you say I let Antonin and the others teach the blood traitor and your little friends over there a lesson for consorting with filth before you and I get started?"

"Over my dead body!" I snarled in response.

"Oh, don't worry. Your dead body is definitely included in our plans. Have any last words for them, you filthy little Mudblood?" he growled as he yanked my hair back forcefully, exposing my neck. He dug his wand tip into the scar Bellatrix had left on my throat in a silent taunt.

My rage rose to new heights at imagining my family being put through the same pain I'd experienced. Part of my brain realized that they were safe and that Blaise was capable of taking care of himself, but I couldn't help but freak out just a little bit. That part of me was reliving my own torture at the hands of these men. I would never wish that sort of death or experience on another.

I gathered up all of my magic, letting it build within me.

"Fuck you!" I growled as I pushed the magic out from my body and sent him flying into the other asshole across the clearing who had been advancing on the Cullens while Blaise furiously dueled the other two. It was a neat trick of diversion I'd taken the time to learn after Harry had recounted Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort fifth year.

While the two stunned men had to take the time to right themselves and regain their bearings, I had dropped from the tree into a crouch, then stood and quickly advanced on them offensively. I fired off two quick hexes, an _Expelliarmus_ and a _Stupefy_ in rapid succession at each, hoping to catch them off guard again, but they easily deflected them.

They began traveling towards me. I countered every one of their moves with one of my own so that the two of them were always within my sight. That was the most important thing when dueling more than one person. If one of them managed to slip around and trap me, I would be in trouble.

In unison the two began hurling both non-verbal and verbal curses at me. I managed to dodge some, such as the _Confringo_, the _Flagrante_, a _Reducto_, and several _Impedimentas_. Others, I had to simultaneously shield myself from and duck. Occasionally, I was able to throw my own hex as I shielded myself from their onslaught. Sometimes, one would graze me, leaving behind a small gash or burn on my sides and arms, but none of them were lethal.

I was playing a defensive strategy in this duel. I was outnumbered. I was looking for holes in their offense and analyzing every move they made. I needed a way to wiggle through and beat them.

"Your little friends aren't here to back you up this time, Mudblood. Are you scared?" Rodolphus cackled gleefully between curses as he threw a particularly nasty bone-dissolving hex towards me. His insane laughter reminded me of Bellatrix. Those two had definitely spent wayyy too many years together.

I shielded myself from his hex and twirled around to dodge Dolohov's _Sectumsempra_. Unfortunately, it caught the back of my dislocated shoulder and I felt it slice across deep enough to graze the bone.

When I whirled back around, gritting my teeth from the pain, I looked at him with my most hateful expression. "I killed your pitiful brother and your psychotic whore of a wife without them by my side. I think I can handle you."

His jaw ticked and his eyes hardened at the mention of Bellatrix. So this was it. Her death was the hole I needed to exploit with him. She would push him over the edge and cause him to make a foolish mistake.

I ducked to avoid a few curses from Dolohov, who was gradually sending darker ones as I continued to ignore him. He had always wanted my undivided attention in a duel. He attempted it every time we'd dueled since that night in the Department of Mysteries. Sick fuck was just obsessed with me.

"Are you ashamed that your bat shit crazy wife was bested by a Mudblood?" I taunted breathlessly between hexes, taking a more offensive stance as I prepared to attack. "I must admit…Chopping her head off in the middle of the Great Hall was the most satisfying experience of my life."

His expression darkened and his curses started flying further from their mark in his haste to send them. Success!

"Which bothers you more? Your wife being killed by me or knowing your wife was fucking your master? You couldn't please her with that tiny thing you call a dick so she sought release from a mere half-blood?" I sneered over the growling and explosions from stray curses surrounding us.

His wand arm faltered in his anger and I took my opportunity to egg him on without having to avoid anything from him. Even Dolohov was too distracted and interested in my uncharacteristic verbal onslaught to continue his attack properly. "I bet it just pisses you off to know that while you were bowing before him, being tortured and punished, she was letting him fuck her brains out."

That was the nail in the coffin. Their concentration visibly broke and I advanced offensively. I rapidly fired every nasty hex, curse, and spell in my arsenal as I attacked.

Several of the nastier ones hit true to their mark because Dolohov and Rodolphus were too slow to counter them correctly. They regained their senses and began fighting back, albeit less eagerly due to their injuries. Rodolphus got hit by my _Cutisreverso_. His skin went through a painful transformation where all of his nerve endings came to the surface of his skin and became exposed to the elements. Dolohov was sporting a large acid cut across his abdomen from my infamous _Cutisacidus._ That pain was enhanced by several strong stinging hexes as well.

Rodolphus fell to his knees, dropping his wand. The skin flip was a curse of my own invention that had no simple counter, therefore he was stuck that way until someone with the right skills came along to reverse it. The pain he was experiencing from it was too great for him to continue dueling.

Dolohov and I circled one another like caged lions. Both of us were glaring fiercely at the other, loathing clear in our expressions. This was highly reminiscent of the battle between us in the Department of Mysteries. Only this time, I was more prepared. This time, I wasn't a child fighting an adult. This was my fair chance to beat him and put my demons to rest.

The darkness swirling around him as I continually dodged his curses and returned my own told me to expect an Unforgivable. He was geared up with so much hate for me and his inability to kill me over the years that he would have no trouble casting one. I could sense it. The satisfied gleam in his eyes that was always present when he was going to cast one gave away his strategy long before he even executed it. He was either going to cast the Cruciatus or the Killing Curse to release his frustrations and he was positive I wouldn't expect it.

I tensed my muscles so that I would be able to react as soon as he did. I didn't have to wait long. A slight twitch of his left hand accompanied by a manic smirk were his tell-tale signs. He was going to curse me.

He quickly lifted his wand, pointing it in my direction, and bellowed "_Avada Kedava!_" Before the words even left his lips, I was rolling on the ground to avoid that sickening bright green jet of light. From my position on the forest floor, I cast my final blow. I aimed a silent _Sectumsempra_ at his throat, watching in satisfaction as his head fell from his body in a sickening spew of blood.

I stood, giving his body a twisted, satisfied once over. Finally, after all these years, the sick fuck was dead. I had managed to get my revenge for the torture he had gleefully subjected me to. I spit on his head before I turned away.

I mindfully avoided jarring my left side, which was becoming increasingly more painful by the second due to the curse placed upon the gash. My blood was pouring from the wound on my shoulder, soaking my leg and my arm. The bodice of my shirt was becoming stained a red so dark it was nearly black because the curse placed upon the cut prevented the blood from clotting or any sort of healing until it was countered.

Several shocked pale faces swam in my vision. I attempted to send them an assuring smile, but I think it came out as more of a grimace. All of their expressions were the same- conveying awe, confusion, surprise, and worry- except for Jasper's.

He was pacing back and forth at the edge of the shield like a caged lion. His blackened eyes were constantly darting to me and then narrowing once they fell onto the others in the clearing. All the while, he was alternating between running his hands through his messy curls in obvious agitation and clenching his fists at his sides. He was visibly vibrating with suppressed rage and a ferocious constant growl fell from his sneering lips.

I had never seen him like this before. He no longer looked like the beautiful, charismatic man I had fallen in love with. It was obvious that he had embraced his darker side and given his base instincts free reign over his person. He was a very pissed and very scary vampire hell-bent on destroying those he saw as a threat. I couldn't help but worry about how he would react once I removed the shields.

Would he attack the Death Eaters?

Would he attack us?

Would he be angry with me for basically putting him into a cage?

"_Crucio!"_ a pained voice yelled from behind me.

My worries over Jasper's reaction were forgotten as I fell to the forest floor in that familiar and still entirely unbearable pain, a tormented scream escaping my lips.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	25. Chapter 25

Ch. 25

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait guys! This chapter wasn't planned at all, but Jasper begged for me to tell his POV. Consider it a bonus chap! Unfortunately, writing the fight in Jasper's POV was really hard. It took me forever to really get it sounding good! I didn't have time to get it beta'd, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! **I also want to give a huge thanks to _Michelle Amethyst_. She gave me the pep-talk of the century last night. It really helped me find the motivation to finish the chapter this morning!

As Always,

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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_(JPOV- Picking up during the baseball game)  
_

There it was again. That spike of lust as I took my batter's stance. Nothing felt better than knowing my angel found me just as attractive as I found her. I even detected a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. I couldn't help the slow, arrogant smirk that tipped my lips as I caught Hermione's eye.

"Go on, Jazzikens, give your ass another lil' wiggle!" Emmett mocked.

I lifted an eyebrow at what I saw when I looked towards first base. There he stood- giving his ass a good shakin' while Rose fake swooned into Alice's arms. I shook my head in a mixture of bemusement and exasperation at their antics. My brother and sisters were one of a kind, lemme tell ya.

Alice finally got over her giggle fit and began preparing to pitch. Therefore I purposely kept my mind blank to avoid alerting her to any sort of decisions regarding which direction I planned on hitting the ball. Just as she released a perfect curve-ball I flooded the three of them with a heavy dose of lethargy. They swayed on their feet. A smug expression flitted across my face at the sight.

Technically it was cheating, but who the fuck cares? Payback for their incessant taunting during the game.

Ball met bat in a resounding crash. A good imitation of the thunder echoing throughout the forest due to the storm. I glimpsed my ball flying high into the sky just to the right of Emmett as I took off towards first base. I rounded second and shot past third. I was confident that I had slowed them down enough to score. That is, until I felt something smack my chest fifty feet from the home-plate. I immediately stopped. I glanced down to see five perfectly manicured blood-red nails wrapped around the ball. My golden eyes followed the pale hand up until they collided with a pair similar to my own.

"Out!" Esme cried from the sidelines.

I nodded, allowing that ruling to pass without argument. They did get me out fair and square. Even after I cheated. A few colorful expletives still fell from my lips as Carlisle, Edward, and I took up our positions in the field though. Mostly because Rosalie was sporting a shit eatin' grin as she took her batters stance. She looked like the cat who got the canary.

Ignoring her, I decided that I quite liked being by first base. I had an unhindered view of my angel as she laughed and conversed with both Blaise and Esme. It was quite funny to watch their expressions because while they watched the game, Blaise was sending animal shaped bubbles towards Hermione with a slight smirk on his face. It was obvious that he was trying to get a rise out of her. It eventually worked too. She would get annoyed when they hindered her view of the game. At which point she would scowl in his direction before waving her wand to pop aforementioned bubbles.

At that moment, any jealous or insecure feelings I still held regarding their relationship melted. The platonic, sibling like bond between them was more than obvious in the way they were intent on tormenting one another.

I turned my attention back to the game because Carlisle had begun winding up to pitch. Edward and I both tensed in preparation to take off into the forest after the ball. My phone vibrated causing the family to shoot me questioning looks. We were supposed to have our phones off during the game due to a cheating incident that occurred two years ago. However, I had ignored that rule since Hermione's safety was still being threatened. Carlisle's hand fell a few inches as he shot me a stern look over his shoulder.

I sheepishly straightened from the slight crouch I had fell into and pulled it from my pocket. **_"Remember- let her protect you." _**were the only words in the text.

My cold-dead heart stuttered in my chest. My eyes darted over to where Hermione was lying just in time to see her lithely spring up from her relaxed position. Blaise had mirrored her move instantly. Something only their kind could sense had obviously startled them. I could make out the hair on their arms standing on end with my enhanced vision. Their eyes were locked together- cerulean blue crashing against honey brown. Both of their faces were also portraying a myriad of emotions. Surprise, recognition, fear, worry, and determination being a few of them.

All attention shifted from me to them in an instant.

"Stop!" Hermione cried, panic and dread pouring from her.

Her emotions were near crippling. I attempted to send her some calm, but it didn't seem to have any effect on her current state. Blaise placed one of his large dark hands on her shoulder and squeezed. That seemed to calm her. It brought her out of the mini-internal freak out session she had obviously been having. Her shoulder's straightened as she became filled with an obscene amount of determination.

The confusion was pouring out of my family, but as for me? I knew what was going on. Peter's message was the clue in I needed to connect the dots. This was how it would go wrong. Not only would they be taken by surprise, but my family and I would be here as well. Rosalie dropped the bat while Carlisle let the ball slip from his fingers. I rushed to Hermione's side, needing to be close to her.

She ignored me. Instead, her and Blaise had their wands held out before them. Their fists were clenched so tightly around the wood that their knuckles were turning white. Their eyes were darting franticly around the clearing. They seemed to be searching for something or someone.

"Get over here. Now!" she demanded of the others, her back turned away from us.

I could feel how taken aback they were by her harsh demand so I hissed at them to listen to her. By the time they had all gathered in a loose circle behind us, she had finished scanning the edges of the forest. She turned to Blaise, not even sparing us a glance. Her eyes kept roaming to and fro about the clearing. His actions were nearly identical to her own. These two were seriously spooked by something. And if it was bad enough to warrant this reaction from my usually level headed mate, then I was fuckin' dreadin' seein' whatever it was.

"They're defenseless," she declared with a nod in our direction.

"They need to leave, Cara. They're a liability. We cannot fight and protect them at the same time," Blaise growled at her.

He was angry. And annoyed. Boy was he annoyed under all of that determination and anger. Most of my family couldn't decide whether they should be insulted by their words or not. Carlisle was extremely worried by their actions. Since he had some exposure to the magical world, he knew that this sort of reaction was not good. Emmett and Edward were both feeling a bit of cocky amusement at her declaration. The two of them have always suffered from over confidence. And they obviously didn't realize that they weren't as powerful as a witch or wizard.

"Jasper? Do you know what is going on?" Carlisle questioned lowly.

"I do not know anything concrete. However, I do know that they were planning some sort of mission with the Order. Peter called and asked me to tell Hermione that it wasn't going to go as planned. I'm guessing that's what this is," I drawled, not taking my focus off of my angel.

I felt a small burst of electrical power shoot out from Hermione and charge the air. It was consistent with those I've felt during her Apparation. But she didn't disappear. She was still standing at my side. Her emotions quickly took on a tone of dread as well as an overwhelming panic.

"Anti-Apparition wards have already gone up, Blaise. That's what we felt when the magic shifted. We can't get them out safely and I sure as hell am not sending them off on their own. We don't know how many of them there are. We cannot send them out into a forest that may be full of an enemy they know nothing about."

"Contain them like we did the Muggles in Budapest."

She looked at him and considered the idea. She nodded her acceptance of the hasty plan as she turned to finally face us. And this is the point where I decided it was time to attempt to get some answers.

"Hermione? What's going on? Is it what Peter was talking about? What fight could there be? What does he mean 'contain them'?" I spat out, afraid that if I didn't get my questions out quickly then I wouldn't get an answer.

Her determined façade broke. Her eyes softened as they roamed my face. "Some of my kind are here…they aren't the friendly sort. Please just…you have to let me protect you," she pleaded softly.

Even after everything Peter had told me. Even after he emphasized that I would die if I didn't stand down and let her protect me; I was still reluctant to do so. She's my mate. I'm meant to protect her.

On top of my own worries and emotional turmoil, I could feel how her words affected the others. Carlisle was extremely concerned, but resigned. He wasn't going to fight her decision. If she felt it was for the best, he would abide by it. The others well… it was difficult to pinpoint how they felt since their emotions were cycling rapidly.

I didn't get the chance to voice an answer. She must have seen our indecision etched across our timeless faces because one second I had an unobstructed view of my mate and the next it was hindered by this…thing. My family and I were ensconced in a shimmering blue force-field of some sort.

I watched as she once again checked the perimeter of the clearing. I checked as well, hoping my eyes would see whatever she could sense out in the forest. I had no such luck. My attention turned back to her when she whipped around, an intense frenzied look overtaking her usually calm features.

"You are safe here, but if something happens, if Blaise and I die, it will disappear. If we fall,_ they will kill you_. So you must run. You don't stop, you don't hide, you don't fight. You run as far away from Forks, Washington as you can as fast as you can."

Her words made a sharp pain shoot through my chest. She thought that death was a possibility. How could she speak of her death so easily? How could she expect me to run? I wouldn't. I… just couldn't. The rest of the family had been just as stricken by her words. I opened my mouth to plead with her. To beg her to let me out of this…this _thing_ so that I could fight at her side. So that I could protect her. But another voice rang out instead.

"Well, well, well...nice to see you again... Granger."

It was cold.

It was calculated.

It was menacing.

It sent a shiver of pure terror down Hermione's spine.

As if that visual wasn't enough to betray her true emotions, I could also smell her fear as it intensified her heady scent. She quickly turned away from us, eyes searching for the owner of that voice. Her head stayed facing the right. My eyes followed her terrified stare. Standing just on this side of the clearing was a figure straight out of her journals.

_"Who the fuck is that?"_ Emmett stage whispered, eyes glued to the man wearing a black cloak and silver skeletal mask.

"He's… he's a Death Eater," I stuttered.

I recognized him for what he was immediately. I had read about her first encounter with them in her fifth year. I knew they all sported black cloaks with magical silver masks.

"What's a Death Eater?"

I didn't answer at first. I was too busy attempting to knock this guy out before he could attack. However, the malice rolling off of him in waves didn't change no matter how much calm and lethargy I sent his way. I could sense that the emotions I sent didn't even make it past the shield around us. The fabricated emotions just disappeared the moment they touched the shimmering force field. Like it was meant to absorb anything wanting to physically pass through it as my emotions would have to do in order to change the emotional climate of my environment.

I stepped up and placed my hands upon it, hoping closer contact would help them pass through the barrier. It didn't.

I looked at Edward. For the first time in my life I was unable to mask my true emotions. I, Jasper Whitlock, God of War, was fucking terrified. My power had never been deactivated by anything before. Never. It made me feel vulnerable. It made me feel defenseless. I was scared. For my mate, for Blaise, and for us. I had read a few of her descriptions about the horrible things Death Eaters were capable of doing. I knew that they threw around the most dangerous sorts of magic carelessly.

"Death Eaters are soldiers of Lord Voldemort's Army. They're extremely dangerous, highly skilled, and usually slightly insane dark wizards," I explained to answer his earlier question.

Our attention was brought back to the scene unfolding in front of us before they could ask for a more in depth explanation. The Death Eater had removed his mask with a wave of the hand to reveal a slightly emaciated man. My eyes drifted over the rest of his body, assessing him. His shaggy, black hair was sprinkled with gray and his face was covered with a scraggly graying beard. The subtle grip he had on reality could be seen in his malicious pale green eyes.

Even without Hermione's reaction this man screamed danger. Hell, he even smelled of it. He had this raw, wild, powerful scent. The scent was incredibly unique. I had never smelled anything like it before in my existence. The scent managed to draw you to him and act like a warning beacon at the same time. It was truly indescribable.

I didn't like it. Not at all.

"Once I'm done with the Mudblood here, I'll teach you a lesson about betraying your master, Zabini."

Thin, cruel lips curled up to reveal broken and decaying teeth as he sneered this at Blaise. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme gave slight gags of disgust at the sight. I would have laughed if I wasn't so shocked by his reference to Blaise betraying his "master".

What did he mean? Was Blaise a Death Eater? Had he fought on the other side of the War? Could he truly be trusted? Would he betray my mate?

"Dude! He's looking at us with this demented look. Why is he looking at us like that?"

Emmett's panicked questions brought me back to the current situation. I glanced up to see that he wasn't exaggerating. This Death Eater was sporting an unsettling smirk as his eyes darted between Hermione, Blaise, and my family.

"I see you're still an arrogant asshole, Antonin. Do you still fight like a cowardly bitch as well?"

My angel had noticed to. She practically spat those words at him to get his attention away from us and back on her. I'm pretty sure I heard Rosalie mutter, "ouch! Burn!" to Emmett, but I couldn't even crack a smile at her words.

Hermione's attempt to distract him worked. His eyes snapped back to her and a sneer of disdain replaced his smirk as he looked down upon her.

"Don't pretend you aren't scared to see me again... **_Poppet_**."

As soon as he purred out "Poppet" it was like she lost whatever control she had been exhibiting over her emotions. A floodgate opened. I could feel her anger. I could feel her fear. I could feel her intense loathing for the man in front of her. I could feel how that one word made her feel incredibly vulnerable.

Seeing that he got a reaction out of her, probably due to the expression on her face, he cocked his head to the side with a triumphant twist of his lips.

"Tell me, Zabini, are the rumors true? Does the Mudblood still wake up screaming from the memories of the way I tortured that filthy little body of hers in the dungeons?"

I saw red.

Torture.

He tortured my mate.

A loud, ferocious growl rang throughout the clearing. I lunged at that fucking barrier. I wanted through. I wanted to rip the bastard into tiny, unrecognizable pieces.

Through the haze I heard him taunt "making you scream….making you beg for death."

Those words fueled my rage. They unleashed the demon I had kept locked away for the past fifty years. My demon and I would make him pay in the most painful way possible. We would torture this sick fucker for days for daring to lay a hand on our mate. He would beg us to end his pathetic life. And we wouldn't. We'd only torture him longer for daring to ask for such a mercy.

Hands clawed at the barrier preventing me from getting to my mate. A shoulder rammed into it repeatedly, certain it would break if enough force was behind them. Hands landed on either shoulder, stopping another attempt to jump out of this thing.

They radiated a calm I was definitely not feeling. However, it helped me gain back a bit of my sanity.

"Son, I know you're upset by that disturbing revelation. We all are. But we're trapped in here. We need to remain calm so that we can help your mate when the time is right." Carlisle intoned in a soothing voice.

His words spoke straight to my demon. They calmed him. They spoke to his strategic side. Yes, we would remain calm and in control of ourselves. We would wait until the perfect opportunity to strike. We would watch our mate fight them and catalogue their every weakness.

My jumbled, slightly third person thoughts slowly returned to normal. It helped when Esme bravely came and bestowed me with a motherly embrace. Alice and Roslie joined her. Their love, sympathy, and compassion was what I needed to push the anger down enough to refocus on what was going on in the clearing. I vowed then and there that I would do my best to pay attention to the fight no matter what happened. There would be time to loose my temper and go God of War on these Death Eater assholes later.

"Mmm…I can already see that you're going to let that famous little temper of yours out to play this time. I do love it when you fight back, _Poppet_. It makes our little game so much more satisfying."

His lust and desire spiked with that sentence as he gave her body a slow, thorough once-over. I wanted to rip his lecherous eyes out of his head. I didn't like those emotions being directed towards my mate. Not at all. I let out a low, feral growl. I knew I wasn't the only one who caught his subtle innuendo when it was echoed by the rest of my family-Rose being the loudest.

I couldn't see Hermione's expression, but I'm sure it mirrored the intense disgust she was feeling. She didn't comment back this time. Instead, her shoulders straightened. Confidence and determination poured from her body. I could smell the adrenaline rushing through her veins. It was preparing her for what was to come.

The Death Eater in front of her, Antonin, appraised her with his cruel eyes. His every move screamed that he couldn't wait for the chance to inflict pain on her. I could smell the darkness within him intensifying.

It made my entire family instinctually take three steps back.

Antonin carefully moved into the clearing. He took two cautions steps forward and to the right. Hermione countered them with two back and to the left. The pattern repeated several times. He was analyzing her movements. He was looking for a sign that she had let her guard down.

She was doing the same.

Slowly, her emotions disappeared. I could feel nothing from her. It was like she had completely shut them down so that they wouldn't rule her decisions and cause her to act in a rash manner.

"Why aren't you helping her?" Edward questioned Blaise.

The Italian turned to us with an unreadable expression.

"It isn't my fight. It's hers," he replied simply.

A plethora of green sparks shot into the air and stopped one of us from asking him what he meant, claiming it was her fight. All of us looked to the side. Antonin had a smug expression. Hermione's was blank, but I got twin bursts of realization and annoyance from her emotions before she once again shut them down.

I turned to ask Blaise what the sparks meant. My question died on my lips. Three clouds of black smoke, all around fifteen feet off the ground, were hurtling from the forest behind him.

"Look out!" Was the only warning I was able choke out before two of them rammed into him.

I quickly backed up to the far edge of the shield so that I could watch everything unfold at the same time. I stared in awe as they picked him up mid-flight. The moment his feet left the ground, he became surrounded by some insubstantial black smoke of his own. The three of them tumbled through the sky, struggling to gain the upper hand.

Hermione apparently wasn't going to approach the fight in the same manner as Blaise. Not surprising since she hates to fly. I watched as she bent her knees, squared her shoulders, and braced herself for impact. The smoke rammed into her. It lifted her without slowing down. She was dangling at least seven feet off of the ground, her body limp. It was like she knew it would be useless to struggle.

The smoke slammed her into a tree just to the left of our shield with an audible thud. The sound of her head connecting with the bark was accompanied by the distinct popping sound dislocated joints make. I felt her pain before she quickly squashed it.

The flashing of lights in my peripheral vision- accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a tree falling- caused my eyes to wander to the sky. Blaise's battle was intensifying. A tree had nearly clipped the person flying in the middle as it fell. I couldn't believe that the three people inside the clouds of smoke were hurtling twenty feet in the air at unimaginable speeds and still capable of shooting what I'm fairly certain are spells at one another.

The tangy smell of blood was already permeating the air due to their fight. Yet, for once, none of our blood-lust surfaced at the scent. It was as if the need to be coherent due to the battle surrounding us superseded our hunger. Thank God for small miracles. Seven blood thirsty vampires wouldn't make this situation better at all.

"This is absolutely insane," Alice muttered, eyes riveted on the fight before us.

I muttered my agreement with the others.

Our eyes shifted as a maniacal chuckle left the smoke figure pinning Hermione to the tree. We watched as it slowly dissipated to reveal a man with tangled auburn hair. His right hand was wrapped around her throat and his left digging a wand into her temple.

I immediately stopped growling at the figure when he began speaking.

"For such an inferior being, you were a pain in the ass to track, Granger…"

His sneered words didn't seem to affect her. I knew she recognized him. The slight tensing of her muscles was a dead give-a-way. But she didn't let it show. Instead, she kept her face schooled into a slightly bored expression.

"Funny, I wasn't even trying to hide. You must be a shitty tracker. I've actually been waiting on you for awhile. I was beginning to think you forgot about that little promise you made me during the Final Battle, Rodolphus," she replied, baiting him.

Apparently she already had some sort of plan.

It worked. He took the bait. I could feel his anger rise. He let go of her throat and pressed his body flush against hers in order to keep her pinned against the tree. He used his free hand to yank her head back by the hair.

"Oh, I could never forget about you, Mudblood. After all, we do have a bit of a score to settle, don't we? So what do you say I let Antonin and the others teach the blood traitor and your little friends over there a lesson for consorting with filth before you and I get started?"

His words were practically growled out. I could feel his thirst for vengeance. It made me question what sort of score they had to settle. I couldn't help but wonder what she had done to piss this Death Eater off so thoroughly.

"Over my dead body!" She snarled, eyes darting over to where we had been contained.

His words and her actions made my family and I realize that the man, Antonin, had slowly been approaching our shield from behind. To remove it without notice. What a fucking coward. I ended up having to momentarily block her emotions to keep from being affected by the intense rage and panic that overcame her as well as the nasty little mixture her captor was feeling

"Oh, don't worry. Your dead body is definitely included in our plans. Have any last words for them, you filthy little Mudblood?"

With every word he spoke, he had drug his wand down her face and over her jaw in a painstakingly slow manner. At his last three words he jabbed it into the hidden jagged scar that ran from her ear to her shoulder. It was obviously a silent taunt. It made me wonder if he was the one responsible for the marring of her beautiful neck.

However, his words had the opposite effect. Instead of frightening her, they strengthened her confidence. Her eyes had this calculating gleam to them, as if this was part of some elaborate scheme to escape.

"Fuck you!" She screamed as the man in front of her, Rodolphus, went flying into Antonin. She never even laid a hand on the bastard. It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen in my life. Hermione had immediately fallen to the ground in a feline like manner.

We watched as the two Death Eaters crashed to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs. Hermione took advantage of their disorientation. She stood from her crouch and advanced on them quickly. Four jets of light flew from her wand without a word passing her lips. Two headed for Rodolphus. Two headed for Antonin.

None of them hit. Two of them were sent veering off into the forest with a flick of the wrist. The other two were deflected and absorbed by our shield.

The three of them began circling each other. For every step they took offensively, Hermione reacted defensively. It was easy to see that she was trying to keep them in her sight. She knew that if one of them flanked her, she was as good as dead.

As they started their magical assault, Blaise and his two attackers landed fifteen feet away in a flurry of lights. He was in the same boat as Hermione, but it didn't seem to bother him. It was as if he was used to the odds being stacked against him. Either that, or he was confident that his magical skill far outweighed that of his opponents. It didn't matter though because he was faring quite well. His only visible injuries were a couple of small, bleeding cuts on his side and arm accompanied by a second degree burn on his thigh.

I observed the two men he was fighting. They were total opposites of each other. One was actually healthy looking. He was stocky and well kept with dirty blonde hair that was offset by his tanned skin. Overall he was rather ordinary. Nothing spectacular about him to scream that he willingly served a madman.

The other was just as raggedy looking as the two Hermione was dueling. He had a wild heir about him. To be more specific, it was a wild scent. It sort of resembled how Bill smelt. His black hair had a grey stripe running right down the middle. Like a skunk. It was thick and matted with dirt and leaves. His nose was constantly flaring during the fight, as if he was scenting the air. On top of that, his eyes were glittering with undisguised hunger.

I was quite certain that this man was out for flesh.

"Was she a good fuck Zabini? Was she worth betraying your master for?" Blondie huffed between curses in an Australian accent.

Blaise ignored him. Instead, he intensified his concentration on the battle. He dodged, rolled, and jumped over jets of light in a fluid, graceful manner. In between all of that he still managed to send his own assault back.

"I sure hope sinking your cock in the Mudbloods' dirty little pussy worth dying for!"

"Fuck off Fenton!"

Blaise punctuated those words with a jet of purple light. Blondie, also known as Fenton, was unable to dodge it quick enough. It collided with his arm just below the shoulder. I watched, eyes widening in pure shock, as Fenton's arm fell from his body in a gush of blood.

"Your little friends aren't here to back you up this time, Mudblood. Are you scared?"

My eyes whipped back over to assess the duel happening with Hermione at Rodolphus' gleeful cackling. I watched as she managed to gracefully twist her body to dodge the canary yellow jet of light he sent at her. Unfortunately, she turned right into the purple jet of light shot at her by Antonin.

A small, barely audible whimper of pain passed her lips as it grazed her back. Blood immediately began staining her shirt over her dislocated shoulder. Carlisle's concern for her spiked at the sight. This purple severing spell obviously didn't harm her as bad as it did Fenton, but it still got her good.

My fury rose at seeing her hurt like this. The other things were minor, non life threatening. But a cut like that? She could bleed out. And I would be stuck in this fucking bubble, unable to help her.

I began pacing back and forth in front of the shield in annoyance. I wanted to be out there with her. I wanted to be hurting these fuckers for hurting her. My demon didn't like being caged. Not at all. It could understand observing the battle and looking for weakness. It could understand giving my mate the chance to defend herself. But it didn't understand letting her put her life at risk.

My hand would occasionally run through my curls at frustrating thoughts like those.

"I killed your pitiful brother and your psychotic whore of a wife without them by my side. I think I can handle you." She retorted after turning around and shooting a few spells of her own.

Well, that answered my earlier question of what she had done to make him want vengeance so bad. She had killed his wife and brother in the war. And that didn't make him very happy at all. His jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek twitching rapidly. His eyes took on a hard glint.

I felt Hermione's recognition and triumph as she continued blocking and sending her own attacks at him. For some reason she liked his reaction. I sensed that she was about to exploit whatever weakness he had unknowingly shown her.

Antonin on the other hand, wasn't too happy about this hate filled conversation developing between the other two at all. His eyes darted between them. I could feel his irritation. He looked like a petulant child as he kept attempting to regain her attention in the fight. He kept attacking faster and faster, much to Hermione's annoyance.

"Are you ashamed that your bat shit crazy wife was bested by a Mudblood?" She taunted Rodolphus breathlessly as she ducked a few of Antonin's spells. "I must admit…Chopping her head off in the middle of the Great Hall was the most satisfying experience of my life."

Her words sent a wave of shock throughout my entire family. "She…she chopped off someone's head?" Esme whispered, heart-broken.

"It was a War. She did what was necessary to survive," I replied, my tone of voice daring them to judge my mate even though I had not spared them a glance.

I watched Rodolphus' expression darken at her words. She had really, really hit a sore spot with him. His spells came faster. In his haste to get them out, they were flying further and further away from their intended target.

"Which bothers you more? Your wife being killed by me or knowing your wife was fucking your master? You couldn't please her with that tiny thing you call a dick so she sought release from a mere half-blood?" She taunted mercilessly, without caring about the profane words falling from her lips.

Both of the Death Eaters paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. She took her opportunity to deliver the final blow.

"I bet it just pisses you off to know that while you were bowing before him, being tortured and punished, she was letting him fuck her brains out."

Their concentration visibly broke at those words. Their wand arms fell slightly in surprise. She advanced in what I could identify as an offensive manner. Jets of light rapidly flew from the tip of her wand and soared towards her to opponents. They ducked, dodged, rolled, shielded, and deflected. Unfortunately for them, her attack was quick and intense. They fought back, but had definitely ended up taking a few hits.

I felt a burst of triumph as Rodolphus dropped his wand and fell to his knee's, his skin undergoing some sort of transformation. The intense pain I sensed hitting the emotional blocks I had set up against the others had me purring in satisfaction. He deserved to feel that after everything he had said and done to my mate.

Antonin, on the other hand, was injured but still able to fight. The large cut she had landed across his stomach seemed painful, but didn't take him out of commission. He advanced on Hermione once more. They circled one another with loathing clear in their expressions.

I furrowed my brow in confusion when I heard the sound of a bone being broken. They hadn't even started sending spells yet. How could something be broken? Edward, probably having read my mind, tapped my shoulder and nodded in the opposite direction. I followed his gaze to see Blaise and the feral looking man engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Their wands lay forgotten in a pool of blood next to the life-less body of Fenton fifteen feet away as they faced off physically.

Blaise was already sporting what seemed to be a series of vicious looking claw marks across the chest, but he wasn't letting the injuries slow him down any. He executed a perfect Roundhouse kick. Wild man dodged it and in return managed to land a well aimed left hook on the Italian's jaw. It knocked his head to the side and bloodied his lip. He dodged the next blow and managed to land a kidney shot on the Death Eater.

He jumped over the leg that was attempting to swipe his feet out from under him. Mid-jump, Blaise reached for something at his thigh. He pulled a glinting silver dagger out of what seemed to be thin air, though I imagine it was merely concealed by something invisible. He threw it and it flew with startling accuracy straight into the heart of the Death Eater before him.

The wild, unkempt man fell to his knees. He was gasping and pulling at the dagger imbedded in his chest to the hilt.

"There's a special place in Hell for Pedophiliac Werewolves such as yourself, Greyback," Blaise sneered, looking down on him without any sympathy for his plight. "I hope you enjoy it."

He moved away to retrieve all of the fallen wands without a backwards glance. I watched him wipe the bloodied wands on his pants as he watched Hermione's fight. My attention shifted back to her as well. She was in the midst of dodging a barrage of curses from Antonin and sending her own back. As they continued to duel, I could sense his anger rising at his inability to beat her.

She seemed to sense the same thing because a smug smirk flitted across her face. From that moment on, her eyes were assessing his every move. She was expecting something from him. She had already anticipated some action he was going to eventually take. Her muscles tensed. Her eyes had narrowed towards his left hand.

I narrowed mine as well, looking for whatever she was. After several minutes, it twitched. That must have been what she was searching for because she immediately dropped to the ground and rolled away. A jet of bright green light crashed through where she had previously been standing…. A jet of light that looked suspiciously like the Killing Curse she had described in her journals.

A steady stream of snarls ripped out of my throat. I resumed my pacing at the edge of the shield. I was ready to be out of this cage. I was ready to kill that asshole for daring to try and kill my mate.

From her position on the ground, just out of Antonin's direct line of sight, she sent a jet of purple light at him with a sharp slashing motion. It hit his neck, completely slicing through it in the same manner as it had Fenton's arm.

I watched, purring in satisfaction once again as his head fell from his body. Justice. I might not have delivered it personally, but it was served all the same.

My angel stood and spit on his lifeless body, disgust twisting her features. She turned to face us. I could feel her pain as she avoided jarring the left side of her body. She swayed on her feet, likely feeling light-headed from the amount blood she had lost in the past thirty minutes. I was worried about her. She had been bleeding for a good while now. The majority of her shirt, as well as the top of her jeans, were soaked in her own blood. She had really been bleeding for too long. I was just thankful the curse had avoided any major arteries. If it had hit one, she would have died within minutes.

Now that she was steady on her feet, she was looking at us. But her eyes were slightly unfocused. I could still tell that she was assessing our reaction to what we had just witnessed though.

I admit, I was a little in awe and fuckin' terrified of her. She had just killed a man without having to touch him. Took his head right off without lifting a damn finger. I now understood what Peter meant when he claimed that she had more power in her pinky than I did in my entire body.

I can't deny that I was angry and scared for her to be fighting without me at her side. But I also have to confess that it was also one of the sexiest things I have ever seen in my life. I was right all those weeks ago when I tried to imagine her proficiency in battle. My mate was truly a fuckin' goddess. A Goddess of War.

She looked a bit scared as our eyes locked. I knew the majority of it was her fear of my reaction to her fighting. She was scared I would hate her or be disgusted with what I witnessed. But I could also tell that some of her fear was because of my appearance. I still looked positively feral. I had given in to my baser instincts, my demon, while she fought. There wasn't anything to be done for that. I probably wouldn't be able to reign that in until she was safely in my arms where I could sooth her worries.

She made up her mind about approaching us. She took a step forward.

A shout of _"Crucio_" echoed around the clearing.

A jet of crimson light hit her in the back and she crumpled onto the ground with a scream.

I fell to my knee's, a whimper tearing itself from my throat as I was engulfed in the same white-hot pain as my mate. There was no way for me to ignore it. The amount of pure agony I was experiencing second hand was simply unimaginable. I felt like I was experiencing my transformation all over again. How is it possible for a human to cause such pain?

I had to check on Hermione. If this is what I was feeling, I could only imagine how much worse it was for her.

I slowly pried my eyes open. I managed to distinguish her body levitating a few inches into the air despite my blurred vision. It was being wracked with harsh spasms. There was a piercing scream constantly falling from her open mouth. My eyes closed again. My agony increased with each passing second, just like hers.

Thirty seconds later, it got so intense that I was unable to handle it anymore. I lost control of my gift and sent my family to their knees as well.

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Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	26. Chapter 26

**Ch. 26**

The amount of reviews I've received lately is staggering! Thank you guys so much for the support!

As Always,

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

**_When we last left the Gryffindor Princess:_**

_I had never seen him like this before. He no longer looked like the beautiful, charismatic man I had fallen in love with. It was obvious that he had embraced his darker side and given his base instincts free reign over his person. He was a very pissed and very scary vampire hell-bent on destroying those he saw as a threat. I couldn't help but worry about how he would react once I removed the shields._

_Would he attack the Death Eaters?_

_Would he attack us?_

_Would he be angry with me for basically putting him into a cage?_

_"Crucio!" a pained voice yelled from behind me._

_My worries over Jasper's reaction were forgotten as I fell to the forest floor in that familiar and still entirely unbearable pain, a tormented scream escaping my lips._

_~!~!~!~!~  
_

_(HPOV)_

The world went dark as I was consumed by agonizing spasms. My brain immediately felt like it had been plunged into the depths of hell. It was on fire with the worst moments of my life stuck on instant replay. I wanted nothing more than to claw my eyes out. Instead, I felt my body lifting off of the ground as my muscles went into a series of painful involuntary contractions. Merlin! It was like having hot, molten, magma inside my veins.

I could no longer hear what was happening around me due to the screams tearing out of my throat. They sounded wretched... just as ear splitting as the sound of nails being scraped down a chalkboard. I tried to stop them. I didn't want the Cullens to hear my torment. I didn't want them to know that the curse hurt much worse than they could ever imagine. I could care less if they saw me being a cold hearted bitch, but they shouldn't see a member of their family, someone they loved, being tortured to insanity. But my effort was pointless. Just as it had been in the past. No one on this Earth could keep from screaming when every muscle, cell, and bone in their body was consumed by such intense agony.

Time passed slowly as my body continued to burn and convulse.

I felt each cell in my body as one by one they began to burst from the amount of hate behind the curse. After what felt like ages, but was probably only mere minutes, the pain stopped. Abrupt, aching spasms were all that remained in the wake of my impromptu torture session. I slowly opened my eyes to see the cloudy sky above me. With a pained groan, I rolled to my knees, pushed myself up with my shaky right arm, and vomited.

The metallic taste that coated my tongue meant it contained blood. _Lovely._ I looked up, disgusted at the sight my partially digested breakfast made when mixed with my crimson life force. My eyes collided with Jasper's through the shimmering blue shield separating us. He and his family were all on their knees. Their mouths were twisted and eyes barely open. Their arms were wrapped around their midsection. They all looked like they would also be sick if it were physically possible.

Lestrange's cry of outrage brought my attention to him. His wand arm was twisted at an unnatural angle by a snarling, and completely livid Blaise Zabini. At that moment, I realized what crucial mistake I had made. I thought he'd been out of commission from the pain, so I'd forgotten about him as I'd observed Jasper and the others. I'd forgotten to disarm him. And he took advantage of my rookie mistake.

Now, I felt satisfied when his face contorted with agony at the contact between him and Blaise.

I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"What do you say we give ol' Rodolphus a proper send off, Hermione? The same one you and I used to give all of his bigoted little buddies during the War after we interrogated them. For old times' sake," Blaise growled, exposing Rodolphus' neck for me to send the customary _Diffindo_ at.

Lestrange followed that suggestion with a barrage of insults to both Blaise and I. But they were merely a cover, a method of hiding how he felt about that suggestion.

I shakily got to my feet. I had to literally force myself to walk to his body. I was in so much freaking pain. It was nearly incapacitating. My muscles didn't want to move. My joints were becoming stiff. My body was still wracked with intense uncontrollable spasms. But I pushed through it. I refused to let Rodolphus see the agony I was feeling on my face. Sick fucks like him got off on seeing their victims in pain. I refused to show him that sort of weakness.

I pushed it all into the recesses of my mind. I needed to concentrate on finishing this. I wanted to avenge the deaths of my comrades so bad. I wanted to kill him for all of the ungodly sins he'd committed. But I knew that the time for that had passed. Glowing magical ropes flew out of the tip of my wand at my silent command and wound tightly around the crazed man.

I couldn't kill him since he was no longer able to fight back. I wasn't that person anymore and we were no longer fighting a war. Killing someone who is defenseless, even a Death Eater, would put my head on the proverbial chopping block. My orders from the Ministry dictated that I hand him over to the Aurors for the proper interrogation and punishment once he was subdued.

Pity.

But I didn't let it get me down.

No one ever forbid us from toying with him... making him think I would kill him before handing him over to the Ministry. Zabini's question was the perfect opening for it too. The opportunity to fuck with Lestrange's head was just too good to pass up.

Blaise's cerulean orbs lit up with a maniacal gleam of recognition the moment the demented smile I used to wear whenever I felt the need to be especially cruel crossed my face. He realized that I had decided that I deserved some form of retribution. The slightly bloodied Italian backed away from my prisoner just in case I decided to take it out physically.

I prowled around the Death Eater a few times, allowing my wand to run across his exposed skin as I appraised his body. I knew these actions would not only cause his exposed nerve endings to throb, but would make him believe I was contemplating methods of torture. His eyes followed my movements warily. I could see the defiance... but there was a small shimmer of fear in them as well.

Perfect.

I leaned down so that my lips were only a few inches away from his ear.

"Did they ever tell you how I killed your brother, Rodolphus?"

He remained silent and I took that to mean no. I lightly ran my wand tip across his neck as I moved to his other ear.

"Pity. It was one of my best kills in the war... a work of art. It was truly magnificent…the way I used your everyday, harmless sorts of spells to make him feel the pain he had inflicted on others…the way I slowly increased the crushing pressure on his chest as he begged me for mercy…begged me to spare his pathetic life…" My voice, which I had made purposely seductive as I whispered in his ear, trailed off as I once again circled him.

A harsh, biting laugh escaped my lips without my permission. "Can you believe that, Rodolphus? Your brother, a pure-blooded, diehard Death Eater, on his knees begging a Mudblood for mercy? It was disgusting," I spat. "He didn't even have the grace to die with the dignity he lacked in the rest of his life."

I jabbed my wand into his neck to silence the colorful retort on his lips. I didn't want to hear it. I was done with this filth. I stepped back from him and allowed an arrogant smirk to tip my lips as I looked up at my Italian companion. His lips were turned into a frown. He was clearly disappointed I didn't take my vengeance out in flesh. However, I wasn't about to break protocol and get thrown into Azkaban because of this jackass. I have too much to live for nowadays.

I met Blaise's cerulean eyes with my own and finally answered his burning question regarding the fate of dear ol' Rodolphus.

"Slitting his throat would be showing him a mercy he doesn't deserve, Zabini. Don't get me wrong, I would have enjoyed knowing that I personally sent his entire sick fucking family straight to the hell they belong in. But it's just not meant to be. After all, I did promise the Ministry not to kill unless it was in self-defense. I'm sure they'll reward me for leaving them one member of the inner-circle to interrogate."

I leaned down so that my nose was mere millimeters from the Death Eater's own just to smile at his agonized face. My smile was sweet. Too sweet.  
I was incredibly proud of the pain that was consuming him via my curse. Retribution had never felt so good.

"I'll be sure to blow you a kiss farewell from the sidelines as I watch the Dementors suck out your tattered soul, Rodolphus. You'll be a dear and give Rabastan, Bellatrix, and Voldemort my regards when you meet them in hell won't you?"

"You filthy Mudblood bitch! How dare you! You aren't fit to speak his name!" he started yelling.

Droplets of spittle landed on my face every time he opened his mouth to insult me. I jerked my head away with a groan. It hurt to move that quick, but I sure as hell didn't want to have his spit on me. Ew.

I wiped my face on my sleeve and shot him a look of disgust. He didn't return it. With a roll of my eyes, I forced my quivering muscles to turn my back towards him. I ended up staring at the sight before me, mouth agape and totally speechless, for at least thirty seconds. Dolohov's was not the only dead body in this clearing.

"Blaise?" I croaked with a rather uncontrolled gesture towards said foreign bodies.

"Greyback and Fenton showed up with Lestrange," he explained.

I nodded. The movement was jerky, but it let him know that I understood that he also had to duel to the death. The nod brought on an excruciating amount of pain which I could no longer ignore. My body swayed precariously. I halfheartedly prepared myself for impact with the ground. It never came. Instead, Blaise's warm arm gently wrapped around my waist in support even though he was obviously suffering a few injuries as well.

"Easy there, Cara," he chided as he helped me remain upright.

"I really hate that fucking curse, Blaise," I bitched. "Though I have to say, his was a pitiful excuse for pain. It had nothing on the sheer agony that his whore wife could inflict." I said this last a little louder knowing Rodolphus would hear.

I just wanted to get in a few more jabs at his ego before he was taken away.

"You stupid whore! That's nothing compared to what I'll make you feel when I escape... I'll skin you alive! I'll have your head!" he began ranting.

His empty threats amused me. We both knew he wasn't going to be escaping now that he had been captured. I ignored him and looked to the now standing, slightly frantic vampires.

With a flick of the wrist, the shield surrounding the seven of them disappeared. The Cullens immediately stilled in their surprise. Apparently they weren't expecting to be released so soon. Their eyes turned to us. They stared at Blaise and I with a mixture of fear, surprise, and respect on their timeless faces. They seemed to be in a state of shock, not knowing how to react now that they were no longer being contained. Or perhaps it was the fact that Blaise and I had proven that we were not to be fucked with. Or maybe it was just because the two of us were standing amongst dead bodies in a nonchalant manner…acting as if we had nothing to do with why one was missing a head and another was short an arm while the other had a knife lodged in its chest.

A white blur breezed past Blaise and I before either of us could properly give my makeshift family an explanation for the events that occurred. I glanced around the clearing, wand once more at the ready. As my eyes hit the vampires, I noticed that Jasper was no longer at the forefront of their ranks.

My eyes watered. My heart stung from his rejection.

At least until I heard a deep, demonic sounding voice ask, "So you enjoy causing others pain, Human?"

A low, chilling laugh followed the question. Even though I knew it was Jasper it still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Jasper must have gotten some sort of confirmation. I could hear the pleasure in his voice as he purred, "Fantastic. So do I."

Loud screams of agony started to echo around the clearing.

Curious, I turned around and my nose immediately bumped into Jasper's back. Blaise helped me maneuver to the side a bit so I could see how he was inflicting so much pain. A small gasp was my only reaction to the sight. He wasn't even touching him like I had thought.

Jasper stood tall, proud, and rigid, a mere two feet away from our prisoner. His lips had a menacing sneer on them. His eyes were frightening pools of onyx... the blackness had even bled from his iris's to cover the whites of his eyes. And from the satisfied gleam in them, I would be willing to bet he was thoroughly enjoying Lestrange's suffering. He was avenging me in the only way he knew how to without going against my wishes and killing him.

Emotional manipulation.

Blaise and I traded smug smirks. Our thirst for vengeance was being satiated after all. Though we could definitely do without having to hear about it. A problem easily fixed. In fact, Rodolphus continued screaming silently due to a small flick of my Italian comrades wrist.

Unfortunately the longer I stood watching, the more the light headed feeling I had earlier increased. I finally swayed on my feet. A cool body was pressed against me immediately. Two piercing black orbs framed by honey curls were attached to said body. I fell to my knees, my damaged and pained muscles unable to support my weight any longer.

Three ethereal panthers immediately burst from the tip of Blaise's wand and swam around the clearing before stopping in front of him. I knew what he was doing. He finally remembered the we have a strict protocol. He had to alert the proper people of what went down. Meaning help would be here soon.

"It'll be alright, Cara," he reassured me before he turned back to fully face Rodolphus. I'd bet ten galleons that he was worried that our prisoner might pull a Houdini and disappear if we didn't keep an eye on him. Either that or he wanted to enjoy watching him writhe beneath Jasper's emotional torture.

Jasper kneeled down beside me. He had begun placing feather soft kisses atop my head while his hands ghosted over my body, as if he was assuring himself that I was alive. When his frantic assessment of my person stopped, he spoke to me. His melodic deep voice was full of unidentifiable emotions, but it told me that his concern for my well being was keeping his baser, more animalistic instincts at bay.

"Sweetheart, you're bleeding pretty bad and I can feel the pain you're in. We need to let Carlisle take a look."

"No offense, but this is a bit out of Carlisle's league. The cursed blade that struck me is meant to prevent the wound from healing in any manner until the counter curse is performed."

I glanced up, hating the sad, scared look in his dark eyes. I hated having to tell him such a thing.

"Can you or Blaise perform it?"

"I can, but not on myself. Blaise probably requested a healer."

Several pops sounded a few minutes later and I slowly leaned out of Jasper's cool embrace. I went to stand, but was unable to do so. Instead, Jasper moved from his position in front of me so that I could clearly see the familiar faces that appeared amongst the destruction in the clearing. A low growl began rumbling in his chest as they approached. I did my best to flood him with calm and recognition to let him know they weren't a threat.

"You're covered in blood again, Miss Granger. Why is it that you are always covered in blood?" Poppy scolded as she rushed towards me, her robes billowing around her.

"I do it just so I have a good excuse to see your smiling face, Poppy," I joked weakly.

She tutted her tongue in a condescending manner and swooped in on me. Before she went to brandishing her wand, a vial of what looked like Blood Replenishing Potion was thrust towards me. I took the potion from her with shaky hands and tipped it back. I grimaced at the foul tasting liquid sliding over my tongue and down my throat. It was a strange mix between sour milk, black licorice, and watermelon. She started waving her wand in intricate motions, now that I was no longer in danger of dying from blood loss. Her movements were interrupted by several people approaching.

"Miss Granger," Kingsley greeted as he and the Head of the Auror Department stepped in front of me.

"Wotcher, Minister Shacklebolt, Head Auror Warrington," I greeted back wearily.

"What happened here?"

"Dolohov stormed into the clearing where I was playing baseball with the Cullens. We immediately formed a secure perimeter around the innocents. Lestrange, Fenton, and Greyback made an appearance not long after. After confirming our suspicions of their motives, a duel ensued. Whilst I was busy working to restrain Dolohov and Lestrange, Blaise engaged Greyback and Fenton. Greyback, Fenton, and Dolohov were killed in self defense. Lestrange was restrained upon incapacitation."

"And why is he under a silencing spell, screaming as if he were being tortured?"

"That would be me Sir. I can manipulate emotions...and well... he deserves to feel a bit of pain. I assure you that it will in no way affect him mentally or physically after I've stopped manipulating his emotional climate," Jasper interjected before I could answer.

Heck, color me surprised. I wasn't even aware he was still capable of torturing Lestrange while comforting and paying attention to me. ...not that I'm complaining or anything.

Kingsley's bald head caught a rare ray of sunshine peeking from beneath the storm clouds as he nodded along. I think I even saw his lips twist up into a half smile at Jasper's explanation. Warrington seemed pleased enough with both answers. Probably because I had actually left him a functioning prisoner to interrogate.

The Aurors they'd brought with them were easy to spot throughout the clearing due to their blood red cloaks. I knew from experience that they were taking notes of the scene and scanning the woods for further threats.

"I see. Well, you know the drill…be sure to file all the necessary paperwork as soon as you get healed up."

I nodded jerkily and turned my attention back to a very frustrated and frazzled mediwitch. During our conversation she had been setting up a plethora of healing supplies a few feet away.

"Alright, Poppy, have at it. This _Sectumsempra_ on my back is killing me."

Her eyes narrowed into angry slits. "You've been sitting there with an untreated_ Sectumsempra_, girl? Bloody hell, get your stubborn butt over here this instant before you do any more irreversible damage to yourself."

Jasper gently moved me to the less crowded spot she indicated in front of her. She removed my tattered blood soaked shirt and damaged bra with a flick of her wrist. All of the vampires audibly gasped as the rest of my body came into view. It was riddled with horrid battle scars that stood out starkly due to the contrast between my pale skin and the blood. Jasper's black eyes met mine and I could see the rage held within them as they scanned my torso.

"It's not like I'm not irrevocably damaged as it is, Poppy," I retorted bitterly, trying my best not to feel self conscious while seven beings with superior eye sight began appraising my war torn body.

She waved her wand in an intricate motion across me, causing random parts of my body to glow and images to appear before her. "On a 1-10 scale, how intense was the _Cruciatus_ and how long were you under?" she asked, immediately deducing that the uncontrolled trembling of my body was from that abhorred curse.

"I would give it a solid 7. I'm not sure how long I was under," I responded.

"Are you talking about when you were on the ground screaming?" Emmett piped up in the upbeat manner only he was capable of pulling off in a situation like this.

I nodded.

"A minute and three seconds. You were screaming for a minute and three seconds."

Poppy's face twisted into a grimace. I'm sure mine matched. Anything over forty-five consecutive seconds wasn't good news.

"Dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, minor cuts and burns, partially decimated clavicle due to the _Sectumsempra_, and internal damage from the Cruciatus," she muttered to herself.

"Sounds about how it feels then," I commented.

"You shouldn't be so calm about your injuries. You should be thanking Merlin that you aren't dead because I find it amazing you're still able to function right now, Miss Granger. Then again, you, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley have always been rather astonishing when it comes to that sort of thing. It's remarkable what you're able to survive and accomplish when you coast through life with a rather large amount of sheer dumb luck at your disposal."

I grinned wryly at her brisk retort. Sheer dumb luck was the **only **reason Harry, Ron, and I were still alive. For I know we should have died years ago during the troll incident on Halloween.

Then she started waving her wand without commenting any further and I hissed in pain as my shoulder slid back into its socket and my damaged bones started fusing back together.

"I'm sure you know by now that the reversal is going to hurt," she muttered, moving closer to the expansive wound on my back.

Jasper seemed to come back from his anger-induced coma. Whether or not it was caused by my injuries or my blase attitude regarding my life... possibly both; I don't know. But he managed to snap out of it and push the emotion away to be dealt with later.

He scooted closer. He gently placed both arms around me and pulled me against his chest. I realized he was going to attempt to ease my pain. I didn't have the heart to tell him he would barely make a dent in what I was about to feel. Instead, I sighed and clenched my jaw tightly, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't be as horrible as my memory made it out to be.

With my eyes squeezed shut as tightly as possible, I gave her the signal to continue. I immediately cried out as a myriad of intense throbbing pangs consumed my back. I couldn't contain the tears that leaked out or the muffled screams either. It felt way worse than I remembered. I'd definitely felt some horrible pain throughout the years, but I have to admit that the reversal of Snape's signature curse ranked among the worst. It was agonizing to feel it slowly being leeched from the infected cells in my body.

As soon as she was done, I sagged forward into Jasper's comforting embrace.

"You waited too long to have it reversed. You're going to have a rather ghastly scar from the dark magic," she informed me.

I looked up at her blankly. "Wonderful."

She sighed and shook her head at me as if I was a lost cause. Truth was, I sort of was one. I'd given up all hope of having a beautiful body years ago after receiving my first battle scars. I was well aware that I had too many scars to ever be considered attractive.

Bandages flew out of her wand and wrapped around my shoulder and chest tightly to support my mending muscles and bones. Then she returned to healing all of the other problems on my body. I sat still and took all of the various potions she gave me like a good little girl. Some were pain and more blood replenishing potions. Others were to counter the effects of the _Cruciatus_. Once she was done poking and prodding me, I felt rejuvenated.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "So what's the verdict?"

"You need to go to St. Mungo's for more observation and tests, Hermione. You were already unstable due to over-exposure to the Cruciatus and you've been hit with a particularly strong one again."

"Forget it. I'm not going to go to St. Mungo's, Poppy. I'll have fifty thousand healers poking and prodding me, wondering why I'm not insane or a fucking vegetable after all of the torture I've experienced. When they find no viable reason, they'll try delving into my brain for answers and I'll not have some random person waltzing around inside my head taking liberties to dig up every horrific memory I have just to satisfy their fucking curiosity. You can just go shove that suggestion where the sun doesn't shine," I huffed, quite aware of the penetrating stares I was receiving from our audience.

"Then let me bring you to Hogwarts. Minerva won't mind if I put you up in the infirmary for a few days to run the tests myself."

I was shaking my head in furious denial as soon as the word Hogwarts left her mouth. She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, quite obviously irritated with my stubborn attitude.

"How about going to Headquarters for a few days? You really, really need these tests so I can determine how much more permanent damage has been done to your body and how many more side effects you are going to have to live with. I would prefer not having to traipse halfway around the world to administer them."

"Fine. I need to submit my memories and report anyway."

"Then I'll see you at Headquarters later," she confirmed before wandering off to heal up Blaise.

After she disappeared, I ignored the minimal bit of pain I was feeling and headed over to Kingsley to ask for a Portkey. I got that as well as a familiar folded up scrap of parchment.

"Bring the vampires as well, Hermione. You know that protocol demands all witnesses be detained."

I gave him a slight nod of understanding.

The Cullen's were all waiting with unreadable expressions when I made it back to them. Except for Jasper. His face was a muddled mix of concern, anger, and love.

"I know all of you have questions for me. And I promise to answer them. But first we need to get to Headquarters," I stated as I held out my ripped and bloodied shirt that Kingsley had performed the _Portus_ charm on.

Several eyebrows lifted, but I ignored them. I wasn't upset about not having it to put back on. There was little blood left on my body after Poppy cleared it away to heal me and my bandages covered up all of the important bits. Not to mention it would be dark in London. I wouldn't be giving anyone a peep show.

At their nods of agreement I gestured for them to touch the shirt. It glowed blue seconds after Edward's reluctant fingers grasped onto it and we began swirling through time and space.

* * *

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	27. Chapter 27

**Ch. 27**

The amount of reviews I've received lately is staggering! Thank you guys so much for the support! It means the world to me! Please read the massive Author's Note at the bottom of the page!

As Always,

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

**_Last time on Under the Guise of Innocence:_**

_After she disappeared, I ignored the minimal bit of pain I was feeling and headed over to Kingsley to ask for a Portkey. I got that as well as a familiar folded up scrap of parchment._

_"Bring the vampires as well, Hermione. You know that protocol demands all witnesses be detained."_

_I gave him a slight nod of understanding._

_The Cullen's were all waiting with unreadable expressions when I made it back to them. Except for Jasper. His face was a muddled mix of concern, anger, and love._

_"I know all of you have questions for me. And I promise to answer them. But first we need to get to Headquarters," I stated as I held out my ripped and bloodied shirt that Kingsley had performed the Portus charm on._

_Several eyebrows lifted, but I ignored them. I wasn't upset about not having it to put back on. There was little blood left on my body after Poppy cleared it away to heal me and my bandages covered up all of the important bits. Not to mention it would be dark in London. I wouldn't be giving anyone a peep show._

_At their nods of agreement I gestured for them to touch the shirt. It glowed blue seconds after Edward's reluctant fingers grasped onto it and we began swirling through time and space._

_~!~!~!~!~  
_

_(JPOV)_

We all were shocked when her shirt began emitting a blinding blue glow at our touch. But the tugging sensation behind my navel following that glow was the most strange thing I've ever felt in my existence. It felt even worse than being squeezed through the straw thing for Apparation.

As we tumbled through time and space, colors swirled past us at a rate so fast that they became an indistinguishable gray blur. I watched them meld into a strange sort of radiant rainbow just before we slammed to a stop.

And I do mean that in the literal sense.

Edward crashed back down to Earth first with Emmett falling on top of him. Alice and Rosalie hit next. They crash landed atop their respective mates. They also somehow had managed to tangle all of their limbs together. Carlisle, Esme, and I all hit the dirt about three feet away from them. I was on the bottom of our pile, nose to nose with Carlisle. Esme's slender, jean clad legs were wrapped around my neck.

"Oh sweet baby Jesus, I think I'm gonna hurl," Emmett moaned.

His exclamation caused the familiar laughter of my mate to reach my ears.

From my position on the ground, I looked up at Hermione who had managed to land gracefully a few feet away despite her previous injuries. I was taken aback. Weren't we the forever graceful and impeccable beings here? How the hell could any human, much less one as wounded as my mate had been, manage to land gracefully from that swirling, tumbling mess? She was smirking at my families ill disguised annoyance and shock- her emotions a mixture of pride, amusement, and sharp pain.

That last feeling caused the tenuous control I had forced myself to gain over my temper in favor of taking care of my mate in the past thirty minutes to falter. A low growl fell from my lips as my memory vividly reminded me of the epic magical fight that had occurred a mere hour ago. Not only had my angel killed someone and been injured in battle, but she had felt more pain than I experienced during my change into a vampire.

Yet despite the sheer agony I know she was still experiencing in small intervals as her potions healed her body, she was capable of functioning in a relatively normal manner. She was such a strong, amazing woman. I was so lucky to have her as a mate.

Hermione's snort of amusement as she took in my current position kept me from dwelling on things best left to be thought of when I had a few acres to destroy and some animals to drain. A delicate eye brow lifted, as she watched us continue to lie on the ground in an ungraceful heap. We had yet to even attempt righting ourselves.

"Well, do you guys want answers about what you witnessed tonight or are you just going to laze around on the ground for the rest of eternity?" she asked.

One by one, we untangled ourselves and stood up. As soon as Esme managed to untwist her legs from my neck, we both hopped to our feet and dusted ourselves off.

"Sorry, but not all of us are used to traveling around the world at warp speed." Rosalie snarked in irritation.

"I'm a muggle born, believe me, I know how you feel. I've only just gotten used to traveling by Portkey in the last year or so. I used to crash into the ground and puke every time I took one before," my mate responded in a placating tone.

All attitude disappeared at her explanation. Typical Rosalie. She can't stand the thought of being inferior to anyone no matter what the circumstance. But she's right as rain as soon as she figures out that she has it a bit better. In this case, our inability to actually toss our cookies just for the hell of it gave us the upper hand in regards to this form of travel.

"Are you feeling alright dear?" Carlisle questioned, his voice colored with worry, as he took note of Hermione's nearly imperceptible winces when random spasms of pain wrought her tiny body.

"The healing process after experiencing an Unforgivable is quite painful Carlisle. The potions I was given may have given me a second wind, so to speak, but they can't totally eliminate what I'll be feeling over the next few days. Please don't worry about me. It's nothing I can't handle till we make it to headquarters."

A small growl fell from my lips. She shouldn't have to be handling this sort of pain at all. Her blasé manner in regards to having just been tortured was absolutely ridiculous. Was this sort of thing such a regular occurrence in her life that it didn't even affect her anymore? How many times had she experienced this _cruciatus_ curse she spoke of for her to be so familiar with it? How many times did one have to be hit with it to be left with permanent side effects?

My anger began surfacing once again at my unanswered questions. I just wanted to shake her for putting herself in harms way and for not being able to tell me what was going on in the magical part of her life. I wanted to demand answers from her. I wanted to go back to Forks and kill that asshole. I wanted to hide her away. I wanted to strip her and demand that she tell me who was responsible for each and every scar marring her body so that I could make them pay. I wanted…

A sharp pain shot through her body as she took a step away from us and towards the worn path to our left, halting my internal rant. I had time to do that later. Right now was the time I should be caring for her. I should be attending to her every need, not standing here stoically like a self absorbed prick.

"So, where are we at and how do we get to where we need to be Sweetheart?" I asked as I gently swooped her up into my arms bridal style.

She didn't protest. I began absorbing what I could of her pain and replacing those emotions with a heady mixture of calm, serenity, numbness, and love. She rested her head on my shoulder as a small sigh of relief rushed past her lips.

"Emerald Park, London, England. We're actually just a few minutes from Order Headquarters. Follow the path to our left."

I took off down the beaten trail she indicated at a fast human run. My family was hot on my heels. Roughly five minutes later the sparse forest opened up to an old fashioned cul-de-sac. Across from our grouping at the edge of the park stood a row of old fashioned townhouses. A black cast iron fence ran in front of them with numbers from one to fifteen depicting their address on ornate iron post boxes.

As I observed the relatively upscale family centric neighborhood, I noticed something incredibly strange. The house that belonged between homes eleven and thirteen was missing. It just wasn't there. A complete oddity for such a relatively normal neighborhood.

In my arms, Hermione began wiggling and demanded to be put on her feet. I did as she wished, though I kept a supporting hand at the small of the back. My family and I remained acutely aware of our unfamiliar surroundings when she let her guard down to begin fishing around in the pocket of her jeans.

"Right then. I need you all to read this scrap of parchment. Then as a group we'll look at the row of houses. When we do that you must recall the words written upon it, but whatever you do, do not say them aloud," she requested as she handed the scrap of parchment to Carlisle.

We all looked at her as if she had a few screws loose. After all, how was reading a scrap of paper going to get us inside the headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix? Then again, I never expected a shirt to be capable of sending us all the way to England either. Each one of us did as she bid us to despite our skepticism. I'm pretty sure we had all given up trying to understand the complexities of magic the moment we crashed in Emerald Park.

When it was my turn, I unfolded the old fashioned paper and glanced down. It contained one sentence. _**"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place."**_

Number twelve? There is no number twelve. That's the elusive missing town home I had noticed earlier. With a confused sigh I handed the parchment back to her. My mate immediately turned it to a pile of ash with her wand.

"Alright. Now I want you all to look at the row of houses in front of us and recall what you read on that scrap of parchment."

We did as she commanded and gasped audibly at the sight before us. I just had to be seeing things. Surely it isn't possible to make it so that a house doesn't even exist to those without magic. And for that matter, wouldn't the inhabitants of number's 11 and 13 feel their homes moving to the side so that Number 12 could appear between them?

I closed my eyes and then opened them once more just to be sure it was real.

"Wha…wh..how? Don't they feel their houses moving?" Edward stuttered in echo of my own thoughts.

"Appearances are deceiving are they not?", Hermione smirked. "It's an illusion. The house has always existed, but is merely invisible to anyone ignorant of its location. It only looks as if the surrounding homes are moving to make room for it because the spell is showing you it's true location. In reality, absolutely nothing is happening."

I was once again speechless at the absolutely amazing things magic is capable of doing. So was the rest of my family. We followed along as she began moving towards the large town home. She paused about five feet from the gate and glanced down both left and right. It seemed as if it were an ingrained, suspicious habit from the war that she wasn't consciously aware she possessed.

"What are you doing?" Alice chirped.

"Checking to be sure no one is watching the area," she muttered, killing my previous assumption as she pushed the iron gate open and made her way up the sidewalk.

We followed along until she stopped at the stoop and pulled out her wand. Before we could question her actions, she pressed the tip of the ebony stick to the door handle. It glowed a bright green before swinging open to admit us.

We were immediately assaulted by a cacophony of noise coming from what was probably a sitting room or kitchen when Hermione ushered us through the ornate door and into an elegantly decorated foyer.

"Typical Friday night," she muttered to herself.

"What are we doing here and when are you going to answer our questions?" Edward demanded rather bravely before we moved any further into the building.

I knew his secret though. He was scared of how she would react. My mate terrified him despite the false bravado he was showcasing.

She sighed and turned to face us fully.

"We are here because it is protocol that all witnesses be detained by either the Ministry or the Order. Don't worry. You aren't being imprisoned or anything. You are here because you'll need to provide a witness statement. As for why we are here, not only will this be your home for the next few days, but I also need to call an emergency Order meeting. I promise that we'll go somewhere private and that I'll let you ask me anything you wish as soon as I've taken care of a few things."

My family and I exchanged glances then nodded our agreement. Edward was annoyed, but appeased by her words.

She gave a curt nod and resumed moving towards the noisy room ahead. Her slow and slightly jerky gate gave us ample time to inspect the first magical dwelling we've ever visited. So far, the décor in this place was exquisite. The floors were a dark cherry wood. They contrasted perfectly with the pale yellow walls. The foyer opened up to an area with a set of stairs in that same rich cherry wood as the flooring. Hanging from the ceiling was an elegant chandelier. It's crystals gleamed as the light it emitted reflected off of the elaborately detailed banister.

"Ahem."

Simultaneously our heads whipped around to face my mate. Without looking, I know that we were all sporting the same sheepish expression at being caught staring. She shook her head with a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I see how it is. I'm out fighting Death Eaters while you lot sit around headquarters having drinks," she exclaimed loudly as she pushed the door in front of her open.

All of the previous noise in the room stopped as we followed her mass of curls inside what was obviously a well used and homey kitchen. Every set of eyes in the room were looking from Hermione to us and then back to her again. Her words and our presence had shocked them. The confusion and immediate concern pouring from its inhabitants was overwhelming.

A lanky man with messy raven hair nearly toppled out of his tipped back chair in his haste to stand on his feet. I'm fairly certain this was Harry Potter. He definitely looked like an older version of the boy in her pictures. Not to mention that the vibrant green eyes visible from behind his glasses were a very distinctive physical trait.

"Mione? What's going on? Why are you here? Where's Zabini? Are you hurt?" he fired off as he made his way to her and practically shoved her into one of the open seats at the table to check her over for further injury than her bandaged torso indicated.

I stood behind her, resting my hands on her shoulders in a protective manner. I was also making use of the contact by radiating the same emotions as I had earlier since her pain was beginning to increase.

"I'm fine Harry. I need you to summon Minerva and any division leaders not present. I'll tell you all of the details then because I only want to explain what happened once," she answered calmly.

Harry practically ran over to the fireplace and began doing his thing. My attention turned back to the room as the chatter picked back up. I could hear a group of younger girls gossiping about "the Warden's" sudden appearance with such sexy beings in tow as well as speculation about our relationship due to our proximity just at the end of the table.

Apparently so could Hermione.

She lifted her head and glared at the group of younger girls and everyone else in the room bar a select few people. "If you aren't a division leader, I suggest you vacate the kitchen immediately."

Around ten of the fifteen people in the room stood and made their way to the door immediately.

"And I swear to Merlin that each and every one of you will be performing extra duty for a month if I hear any sort of rumors regarding whom or what you have seen here tonight."

Her threat stopped all of them in their tracks. I could feel the fear coming from them as each one of them replied, "yes Ms. Granger," with a respectful bow of their head before they departed.

I sent her a heavy dose of the pride and lust I felt at hearing her speak in that manner. Gah it was almost as sexy as seeing her fight. She responded by returning my lust with a bit of humor.

"They are on their way over as we speak Mione," Harry called as took the seat across from her.

His penetrating gaze then shifted to meet my own. He stared at me without blinking, assessing my character I suppose. Then his eyes slowly slid down to my protective stance behind Hermione before they panned out to take in my family. After several minutes he relaxed into his chair, cocking it up on two legs and leaning it backwards haphazard manner.

"You must be the vampire Hermione was having a mental breakdown about loving last time she was visiting," he stated rather boldly.

"And you must be the best friend she's nearly died with on several occasions," I replied, returning his bold once over.

A charming grin spread across his face despite the fact that his emotions flashed with a fierce, unparalleled brotherly love and protectiveness for my mate.

"Well, now that we know who each other are. Let me make something very clear vampire. If you or anyone in your family _ever_ hurts her; you will spend the rest of the foreseeable future regretting the day you were born. I'll rip off your head and make you watch as I slowly burn your body. Then your head will serve as my family door-stop for the rest of eternity. Is that clear?"

In the midst of his casual threat, his temper flared at bit. His emerald eyes imitated the phenomenon that happens with Hermione's when she gets angry. They had began flashing from green to crimson in rapid succession. And they hadn't stopped when he quit speaking..

"Crystal," I replied as I met his flashing eyes with my own onyx ones.

I could feel that his passionate words and his creepy eyes were totally psyching my family out. None of them could look at him for very long due to their fear. Normally, his threat would have made my family and I scoff. But we had witnessed just what magic folk were capable of in Hermione's fight tonight. And none of us dared find out whether or not they were truly capable of following through with such vehement threats.

My mate's annoyance was at an all time high as she glared across the table and snarked, "alright Boy-Who-Lives-To-Be-A-Pain-In-My-Ass, stop scaring my guests so I can make proper introductions, yeah?"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:::**

**Alright, I know it has been what? 2 Months since my last update? I'm sorry, but my trip to Michigan ended up running longer than I anticipated. On top of that, RL just got in the way when I returned home. I've also had a huge bit of writers block concerning these last few chaps. I have everything outlined. I know what I want to happen. I'm just having trouble getting the words to come to me ya know?**

**Anyways, I'm aware that this is a relatively short chapter and that nothing amazing happens, but I wanted to show their arrival from Jasper's POV as well as give the readers a bit of insight as to how he is handling all that has been thrown at him. Don't worry. His tentative calm is short lived. The confrontation as well as Poppy's reappearance will be in Hermione's POV next chapter. Promise!**

**Now, On to other business. I am fixing to begin posting a new fic since this one is winding down. It will be a Peter/Hermione fic. The first ever! I hope you guys check it out and let me know via review whether you like it or not.  
**

Once again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic. so far. Your reviews inspire me to write!


	28. Chapter 28

**Ch. 28**

The amount of reviews I've received lately is staggering! Thank you guys so much for the support! It means the world to me!

As Always,

This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books. It is slightly AU.

**Disclaimer:** I -unfortunately- am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

* * *

**_Last time on Under the Guise of Innocence:_**

_In the midst of his casual threat, his temper flared at bit. His emerald eyes imitated the phenomenon that happens with Hermione's when she gets angry. They had began flashing from green to crimson in rapid succession. And they hadn't stopped when he quit speaking.._

_"Crystal," I replied as I met his flashing eyes with my own onyx ones._

_I could feel that his passionate words and his creepy eyes were totally psyching my family out. None of them could look at him for very long due to their fear. Normally, his threat would have made my family and I scoff. But we had witnessed just what magic folk were capable of in Hermione's fight tonight. And none of us dared find out whether or not they were truly capable of following through with such vehement threats._

_My mate's annoyance was at an all time high as she glared across the table and snarked, "alright Boy-Who-Lives-To-Be-A-Pain-In-My-Ass, stop scaring my guests so I can make proper introductions, yeah?"_

_

* * *

_

_(HPOV)_

A roar of laughter from the eavesdropping five division leaders present immediately followed my statement.

"Oi!" Harry cried, "I am _not_ a pain the ass!"

"Sure you aren't sugar," Gweneth chortled as his fierce denial evoked another round of laughter.

"Right you lot, these here vampires are the Cullens. Try not to scare them off with your marvelous personalities," I introduced blandly, still irritated at Harry's show of over-protective douchery.

Hestia left whatever conversation she had been in with Adrian and started towards us at my words. Her striking violet eyes were literally dancing with humor as she plopped into her assigned seat at my left with a huge grin to match on her face.

"Boy-Who-Lives-To-Be-A-Pain-In-My-Ass indeed! He really got your wand in a knot with that stunt didn't he? Oh battle buddy, how I have missed thy snark and wit!"

"I concur my sneaky friend. No one does snark and wit quite like our resident assassin," Gweneth exclaimed as she slammed a crystal tumbler and a bottle of _Ogden's Finest Fire Whiskey_ in front of me before taking her seat at my right.

I couldn't stop the small grin that took over my face as she poured me a healthy amount of that heavenly cinnamon colored liquid.

"You look like shit Granger. Drink up. It'll help with the _post-crucio_ _shakes_," she commanded, accurately deducing just how bad my night had been.

I relaxed back in my chair at the familiarity of this situation. This has been a familiar post-battle scenario between Hestia, Gweneth, and I since I started going on missions. When one of us returned injured or just in a downright shitty mood, this was what we did. Sarcastic comments directed towards Harry, each other, or other easy targets accompanied by a bottle of fire whiskey and our sparkling personalities were the perfect recipe for unwinding after stressful nights.

It honestly felt like I had been catapulted back into the past by at least a year until Emmett boomed, "assassin?"

At the exact same time Jasper questioned, "Battle buddy?"

Of course the vampires would pick apart each bloody sentence and not let one little word slide past.

I sighed and made a motion for the seven ageless beings to take the seats across from us at the old oak table. Apparently they got the hint because seconds later they were all seated across from us. Even Jasper. Speaking of, I noted that his eyes were still a dark shade of onyx as I met them from across the table.

I didn't know how or where to begin answering those two innocent questions.

Gweneth, whom had a knack for observing others, realized my predicament and took the initiative to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over our usually jovial gathering by introducing herself.

"My name is Gweneth Archer and I'm leader of the Intelligence Division here at the Order of the Phoenix. I pretty much track the movement of Death Eaters and other dark wizards. I also make sure no one enters a fight blind. You are?"

At her prompt, each of the Cullens took a moment to introduce themselves by name rather than the general introduction I gave them. Afterward, she gestured towards the other end of the table and began dishing out the who's who.

"The man with raven hair and those shocking green eyes whom threatened you when you first entered is, for all intents and purposes Hermione's over protective brother, Harry Potter. He's the Leader of the Ground Forces Division. They are first on the ground during battle. The tall blond man he is speaking to is our resident Australian Adrian Fitze, Leader of the Air Attack Squad. I think he's a bit loopy myself, but he's the best at what he does. The severe looking old woman who just entered is the new Head of the entire Order of the Phoenix and Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva McGonagall. She's also brilliant at strategy and Transfiguration. Not a woman you want to cross. Believe me."

The seven beings were looking around the room, following her finger as she pointed to each person. I knew that they were absorbing every little fact she gave in regards to their position and personality into their oversize vampire brains.

"The portly old man in the corner deep into his cups of Meade and now being scolded by Minerva is Horace Slughorn. He's fairly apt at defensive magic, but is actually the leader of our Potions Division. He and his team pretty much brew our healing potions as well as many antidotes for any sort of poison or venom we may encounter."

Hestia, being the overly bold and friendly type whom is unable to keep from inserting her own opinions for more than five minutes, butted in.

"I'd watch out for him though. He's a Slytherin through and through. Can be downright manipulative if the need arises. The ol' bloke has a penchant for getting close to people who may be of use to him. He 'collects' them."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gweneth shake her head in exasperation at Hestia's exaggerated finger quotes. She took a big gulp of her whiskey. "Right. And this one with no qualms about interrupting someone when they are speaking is Hestia Jones."

"What can I say dear Gweneth, social niceties that you Ravenclaw's honor just don't apply to us Gryffindor's. We're a bold and reckless bunch," the violet eyed beauty quipped with a cheeky grin.

I chuckled into my tumbler at the familiarity of their banter and the sharp contradiction between the two best friend's personalities. I admit that by this time the whiskey had started making me feel good. I had a slight buzz going on already. The familiar numbness had begun to slowly spread throughout my pained body with each fiery sip. I could feel my nerves loosening and my mood lightening as the liquor settled in my stomach with its customary burning sensation.

Seven pairs of eyes were immediately looking at me. Jasper had even cocked one of his beautifully sculpted eyebrows as he glanced between me and my cup with a knowing twist of his lips and indulgent shake of his head.

With a shrug, I decided it was time to put my two knuts in on this gossip fest.

"Hestia here is Leader of the Espionage Division. Quite an odd position for her to hold considering how bold and outspoken she is, but she's brilliant at handling and interacting with the Orders' spies."

"Oi! Granger! Don't forget to tell them that I'm the best battle buddy ever," she exclaimed with mock indignation as she slammed her empty tumbler back on the table.

I leveled a mock glare on her, "the best you say? What about me? I'm a pretty damn good battle buddy. How many times have I saved your arse when one of your not so brilliant plans backfired?"

She snorted, "please! You're going to go harping on _my_ not so brilliant plans? What about _your_ not so brilliant plan that backfired at that battle in Cairo?"

"My plan was _brilliant_," I scoffed loudly, much to our audiences collective amusement.

In my peripheral vision I could see the eyes of the vampires volleying back and forth between us as we conversed.

"Yes, because you being thrown out of a second story window by a werewolf weighing upwards of ninety kilo's was an absolutely _brilliant _plan," she retorted dryly.

A scowl formed on my face at the reminder. I heard a low snarl come out of Jasper's chest, but I paid it no heed. I had a point to prove in this argument.

"You know, that wouldn't have happened if Zabini had been watching my back instead of getting distracted."

"Ah yes. How typical of a woman to blame her failures on the only man present at the time of said failure," that lilting Italian voice drawled in a sardonic tone from behind me. "Never mind the fact that I was a bit busy attempting to destroy the army of vicious corpses intent on tearing us limb from limb. That, of course, had nothing to do with why I was too distracted to keep that bloody werewolf from tossing you on your arse."

"Your excuse doesn't count," I waved off with a cheeky grin as he took a seat next to Hestia. "If you hadn't of gotten distracted, I wouldn't have been thrown out of a window and things would have preceded as planned. Therefore, my plan would have worked perfectly thus making it brilliant. It's your fault it wasn't so brilliant."

"If you say so Granger," he relented with a roll of those baby blues.

"So, I see you three are sticking with tradition. Well on the way to being completely pissed are you?"

"Can't go breaking tradition now can we? That's bad luck," I retorted to his probably rhetorical question.

He hummed dismissively as he poured himself a good portion of whiskey into a conjured tumbler

"And what do you do in the Order Blaise?"

The question caught me off guard. I was hoping that their curiosity had been sated for the moment, or at lest redirected, but alas, it was not to be. I looked between Carlisle and Blaise wondering if he was going to sugar-coat his role or just be blunt about it.

"I'm a member of the Espionage Division. During the war I was a spy amongst the Death Eater's. However, I also worked very closely with Hermione and her division."

**_Blunt it is._**

A look of understanding dawned on their faces instead of the surprise I expected.

"So that's what that one guy meant when he said he'd 'teach you a lesson about betraying your master'?"

Ah, I had forgotten about Dolohov's little threat. Of course they would remember. At Blaise's nod of the affirmative to Rosalie, Jasper turned those dark eyes back to me.

"And what is it that your division does to work so closely with a spy?"

"And why do they refer to you as an assassin?" Emmett added in eagerly as he gestured to Gweneth and Hestia.

"I'm the Leader of the Tactical Eliminations Division. In layman's terms, my team and I are assassins," I began.

I think I faintly heard Emmett mutter something about how cool that sounded as I paused to take the last sip of my drink. My last bit of liquid courage as I revealed the biggest part of my past to Jasper.

"During the war, Blaise used his position as a Death Eater to gather information for my team and I. Mostly the habits and movements of key individuals. Then the two of us, and occasionally a few others, used that information to find them. We interrogated them for information about prisoners or training camps then we killed them once they were no longer of any use."

His eyes had widened in shock at my straightforward and emotionless answer, but they never left mine. There was no disgust or hate to be found. No judgment. The only thing I could discern in his fathomless stare happened to be interest and a bit of sympathy.

"What does your division do now that you are no longer at war? Surely you do not continue to act as assassins."

I broke my stare down with Jasper to answer Carlisle's gentle question. I could see that he and Esme would not judge me either. Unfortunately I didn't hold such high hopes for the duo from hell. A glance at Edward showed his distaste for my confession. I knew at least one or both of them would treat me like shit and likely have some sort of snide comment to make once we were away from the Order where they were vastly outnumbered.

However, the eldest Cullens eyes didn't land on me as I had expected. They slid right past me and focused on something over my right shoulder.

"No they do not Master Cullen," Minerva's stern voice cut in. "That is a war-time practice only and one I wish was not a necessity as it tarnishes the psych. Which is why, during times of peace, they act as the Special Forces of the Order. But I'm sure Ms. Granger will agree that attempting to explain what they do would take ages. I'm sure she would agree letting you see her team in action will suffice much better than a complicated explanation."

"Quite right Minerva," I agreed as I went to pour my second drink.

The bottle was easily removed from my weakened grip by the older woman's own strong one.

"Even though its tradition for your little drinking and harping sessions after a stressful night, I think you four have had quite enough to drink for now."

We all exchanged looks of annoyance.

"Stop your pouting. Everyone has arrived, it's time for the meeting," she called as she glided back to the head of the table.

Jasper, Rose, and Emmett snickered in amusement, probably at our shocked expressions. Honestly! She wasn't even looking! How in the bleeding hell do her and Dumbledore always know what goes on when their backs are turned?

And so with her words, all attention was diverted to me, effectively ending my moment of relaxation as I was brought back to the reality of what had happened tonight. I properly introduced the Cullens, then went on to explain what went down in Forks. I couldn't help but be glad that they were present for this explanation as it would answer many of their questions in regards to what they witnessed. I told of how our baseball game was interrupted without any of the alarms we had set in the area being tripped. I recited word for word, Dolohov's taunts and Rodolphus' sneered insults. I told of how I managed to behead Antonin just before I was hit from behind with the _Cruciatus_. A few words of appreciation were spoken to Jasper once I detailed how he inflicted pain back on Lestrange in retaliation for him torturing me. After I was finished Blaise and the vampires told their versions about what happened.

Gweneth was in a right state once all was said and done. I watched on sympathetically as she stormed from the kitchen and out into the training yard without nay a word falling from her lips. Hestia followed immediately. I knew they would be blowing off some steam for most of the night.

"What's wrong with her?" Esme questioned softly, her voice laden with the typical motherly concern.

"She's very angry and guilty," Jasper stated with a glance towards me.

I grimaced as my eyes lingered on the door. I wanted to go offer my comrade some reassurance, but I didn't want to start moving and irritate my healing body any more than necessary. The combination of pain potion and liquor may have numbed me a bit, but nothing would kill that sort of pain.

"That doesn't surprise me. She takes these sort of things hard. She thinks she failed me. It was her division's responsibility to keep tabs on the Death Eater movements and for them to have slipped past her and into Forks…well she thinks what happened is her fault."

As we spoke, the final members of the Order had disbanded on Minerva's command. She had a quick word with Blaise while Harry walked over to let me know that he would have Kreacher get my room and the three across the hall from it prepared before he exited with the Italian.

My old professor then approached our group once more with two blue and one purple vial in her hands. She, I, and the Cullens were the only ones who remained in the large kitchen.

"You did well tonight Ms. Granger," she praised. "I expect your official report and vial of memories to be handed in no later than Monday morning. Now I suggest you take these Potions that Poppy sent through the Floo then get some rest. She left a note stating she would be here tomorrow evening to begin your tests."

A frown pulled at my lips at the reminder of those damned tests Poppy decided to force upon me. I would definitely need some shut eye if I had to suffer through those. I nodded my agreement and slowly made my way out of the kitchen. I hadn't even reached the door before two cool, well muscled arms swept me off my feet.

That deep voice I love so much merely questioned, "where to?"

I let him feel my love and gratitude as I gave directions to my room on the third floor. It was one door down from Harry's and only two doors down from Sirius' child hood room. Once we were on the landing, I directed each couple to a room then opened the door to my quarters with a flick of my wrist.

"Right, I want to get cleaned up then relaxed in bed so we'll reconvene in my room in say... an hour."

Jasper said something to them at that annoying vampire frequency then zipped through the doorway and into the room. He stopped, as if asking for direction, so I pointed towards the door at the back of the room. It led to my personal bathroom. Once inside, I stared in wonder for a moment. Harry had remodeled it just as he had my bedroom and the rest of the town home. In place of the once shabby, barely functioning lavatory was a bloody masterpiece sculpted of dark marble.

He had outdone himself.

Jasper set me on my feet gently while I gaped at the top of the line magical amenities. His cool hands running across my face lovingly brought me out of my trance. They then ghosted over my body reverently, as if he were assuring himself that I was in fact alive and mostly well. I used my wand to cast a waterproof charm on my bandages while he stepped away from me to start the water up for the shower.

I swayed on my feet a bit. The potions I had taken and the liquor in my system were wearing off so the pain in my legs had begun to intensify once more.

"I think I'm going to need some help."

"Do you want me to get one of the girls?" He asked, steadying me by wrapping a muscled arm around my body.

I shook my head. "I don't want you to leave. You could have died tonight because of me Cowboy. I just need to feel you and know that you're here. I need to be with you."

Instead of answering my whispered and slightly intoxicated confession, his cool hands moved down towards my ripped up jeans. He watched my face intently for any traces of uncertainty as he unbuttoned them and carefully pushed them down my hips. His dark eyes followed my pants to the ground. I started feeling self conscious from his intense gaze. After all, I was standing before a god like man in just a set of bandages and lacy red boy-shorts.

A soft growl of appreciation fell from his throat as his eyes raked over my body hungrily. I knew it was a growl of appreciation because a bucket load of lust slammed into me at the same time.

"Mate, do not doubt yourself. You are exquisite. These scars only add to your strength and beauty," he purred as he nuzzled his nose into the scar on my neck.

"Mate?" I questioned softly, looping my arms around his waist for support.

This was the first time he had ever referred to me as his mate. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I had wondered on several occasions whether or not I was his mate. I had just been too scared that he would answer in the negative if I ever brought it up during conversation.

"I've known since the moment I laid eyes on you that you were mine. My mate for eternity. My reason for living," He whispered into my ear reverently as he slid my boy-shorts from my hips.

Once they were around my ankles, I braced myself on his powerful forearms and stepped out of them. Another wave of pain wracked my body at the movement of my legs. I absolutely detest this part of the healing process. It's nearly impossible to do anything and nothing works to kill the resultant agony. Jasper worked his juju magic and helped ease it a bit as he quickly lifted me into the warm shower. Not even five seconds later, his pale white body stepped inside.

As I looked him over, lust momentarily replaced my pain. Jasper wasn't just shirtless. He was as naked as the day he was born. It was the first time I had ever seen him in any state of undress and my eyes drank in the sight.

From the side, I got a glimpse of the powerful muscles of his shoulders leading down to a trim waist and the most mouthwatering tight arse I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. His muscles seemed to ripple with every slight movement. From the front, his arms were well developed with perfectly defined biceps and thickly muscled forearms. The bare expanse of his chest and prominent pectoral muscles gave away to chiseled abs. Those led to the very sculpted 'V' of his hips framed by well muscled legs. Nestled between his thighs stood a very proud member of his anatomy that, in all honesty, frightened me just a bit.

A filthy, lecherous smirk spread across his face at the no doubt lustful expression I had been sporting as I had looked him over from head to toe. He joined me beneath the gentle spray of the magically heated water and wrapped those powerful arms about my waist so that he could continue absorbing my pain and replacing it with more pleasant feelings.

"See somethin' you like darlin'?" he teased as he grabbed the two in one hair potion and began to carefully lather up my hair for me.

I blindly slapped at his chest in annoyance as he leaned me back to rinse the concoction from my hair.

The rough, off texture of his pec drew my eyes to it and for the first time I noticed the scars marring his beautiful body. They were hard to make out in this light with my weak human vision, but I could see them if I concentrated. The entirety of the expanse of his chest in front of me was crisscrossed with raised crescent shaped scars forming a bizarre sort of lace.

I slid a hand out and tentatively ran it down his arm while I ran the other across his chest and stomach. Every where I inspected upon his body was scarred in some form. His stomach, shoulders, neck, and jaw were so scarred it was impossible to define where one ended and the next began. These scarred parts of his body resembled the scars left behind on my arms after my foray into Bellatrix's vault. His skin almost felt as if it had been melted on. Just like mine.

My heart broke for him and the pain he must have experienced to get this many scars. Merlin knows I know how much pain I went through with all of my own. I felt an intense hatred for whoever did this to him just as I hate those who gave me mine.

"Now you see. Nobody is perfect sweetheart. We all have our scars. We all have a story," He murmured, his large hands delicately massaging my spasmodic muscles.

I tentatively kissed the scar that lay directly across his heart. "Will you tell me about yours?" I requested.

He ran his now soaped up hands across my body to rid it of the dried blood splattered across my skin."Only if you tell me about each one of yours first," he bargained.

"That isn't fair,"I retorted as he dropped to his knees and ran his frothy hands down my stomach, down my legs, then up and into the inside of my thighs.

A soft moan fell from my lips as he caressed my most intimate areas on his return trip with nothing but reverence. He lingered momentarily, dipping his fingers inside to rub against the spot that caused me to cry out again and again. When he stood and began washing the minimally exposed skin on my back, I could see through my heavily lidded eyes that he reveled in my wanton response to his teasing.

"All is fair in love and war my mate," he smirked before lowering his sinful lips to my own.

The kiss was soft and sweet at first as he poured his love and desire into it. Then it became so passionate that it left me weak at the knees.

"Fine, I'll tell you all about mine when I'm not so tired then you can tell me about yours," I conceded once I had regained the ability to speak.

He didn't answer. Instead he released me and became a blur of movement. I could only assume that he had washed himself at vampire speed. Seconds later, the water was shut off and Jasper had a towel wrapped around his waist and another gliding up my legs, around my bum, and gently across my torso and arms.

Once my body was dry enough to meet his standards, he lifted me from the shower and ran us back into the bedroom at vampire speed. It once more left me feeling slightly woozy, but I didn't have the energy to let that bother me.

"Clothes?" he questioned.

I halfheartedly pointed at the wardrobe to the immediate left of the overstuffed couch against the wall, "there should be an old sleep shirt or something inside. I imagine there are a pair of sweats I stole from Harry as well. Those should fit you."

Before I finished the statement the blond god stood at my side with an old Gryffindor Quidditch Jersey of Harry's in hand. He gently slipped me into it then helped me get beneath the thick blue duvet on my bed. I watched from beneath my covers as he returned to the wardrobe and removed a pair of black sweat pants.

Much to my pleasure, he didn't have any modesty. Jasper dropped the towel without a second thought. I once more let my eyes rove over his perfectly sculpted body as he pulled the pants up to rest low on hips at a painfully slow speed.

"You got a bit of drool, Darlin'," he snickered, even going so far as to lean down and swipe his finger across my lips, as he joined me in the bed.

"Sue me. You put on a show and you've got one of the best asses I've ever had the pleasure of seeing," I quipped.

"It better be the only ass you've had the pleasure of seeing," he growled possessively.

"It's definitely the only one I've had the _pleasure_ of seeing since, unfortunately, I've been scarred for life by the sight of Ron and Harry's bare arses."

His reply was cut off by a light tapping upon my bedroom door. Jasper had it open for his family to enter before I could blink. Carlisle and Esme immediately perched themselves at the foot of my bed. I could discern from Carlisle's behavior that he felt like he should be doing something to help me. He looked like he felt useless. Esme was just concerned over my well-being. Emmett- concerned but unwilling to admit it- reclined against the wall beside my bed while Rosalie, Alice, and Edward sat upon my sofa.

"So... any questions?"

My awkward inquiry made Carlisle's blond head shoot up. "This _cruciatus curse_ you experienced and are suffering so much residual pain from... Will you explain what it is exactly?" Carlisle asked quietly.

I was rather thankful for his inquisitive nature even if I felt confused about why he would ask about this instead of something else such as the details of the war. However, it _had _broken the tense silence that had descended upon the room the moment they came inside.

"It's one of the Unforgivable curses," I answered automatically. Then I realized they would have no idea what I was talking about. I sighed and held up my hand to prevent the question on the tip of his tongue.

"Right. Jasper doesn't even know exactly what I mean when I refer to the Unforgivable Curses so obviously you do not. Uhm...to understand the_ cruciatus_, I'll have to explain things a bit so that you understand magic as well as what you are hearing a bit better," I backpedaled as I settled into the pile of pillows behind me.

I instinctively reached for Jasper who had put a few feet between us. I needed him. I almost lost him in that clearing. He almost lost me. I just needed to feel him. He scooted closer and wrapped his large body around mine. His bare chest was pressed into my side, Love, adoration, and understanding flowing into me from him.

"Three types of magic exist. Light, Gray, and Dark magic. Every wizard is born with the capability to perform all three types of magic and most are naturally drawn to one of the three. However light and gray magic are the only legal forms of magic. The use of dark magic is forbidden by the Ministry of Magic yet it is still wielded by many whose personalities draw them to the darkness and power."

I saw each of them nod to show their understanding. I took a calming breath before continuing.

"Although there is some very nasty, evil, and deadly dark magic, there are three curses within the dark magic realm that the Ministry deemed Unforgivable. They are commonly referred to as the Unforgivable Curses- named so because the use of them on another person is Unforgivable by both your soul and the Ministry of Magic."

Why?" Rosalie asked what I'm sure they all wanted to know from her seat next to Edward.

"They are Unforgivable because of what they do to the victim, each one worse than the next," I stated in explanation before elaborating further.

"The most mild of the curses is the Imperious. It allows the caster complete control of the victims mind. The curse is nearly impossible to fight off because the brain simply goes blank. You have no inclination to do anything, you feel no emotions…it is the strangest feeling in the world, as if your mind has been encased in a white fog. You have no free will. You simply exist to do the bidding of whomever put you under the curse. During the war, Death Eater's were known to imperious the children of those who opposed them. They would command the children to brutally slaughter their families. "

They all gaped at me in disbelief, wondering how they could get worse. I took a moment to rest as an intense muscle spasm tore through my body. Jasper tightened his hold on me. I could feel the pain leaking from my body and into his. Once it passed, I downed that heavenly blue pain potion then continued my explanation.

"The _Avada Kedavra_, or the Killing Curse, is the next Unforgivable. It is easily recognizable by the bright green, or _avada green_, jet of light. It is actually the only curse in existence that casts this color. It is also a unique curse because it depends on the intent behind the magic. To successfully cast it, the caster must truly desire to kill the person it is aimed at. They must be willing to splinter their soul -knowing no amount of remorse will ever repair the damage- and take the life of another being. The curse will instantly kill you…stopping your heart dead and draining your life force no matter where it hit's the body. Victims simply die with two words and a flick of the wrist. The only way to avoid dying by this curse is to avoid being hit by it at all costs by ducking, rolling, jumping, etc. because there is nothing strong enough to block it. Most people consider this the worst of the three since it kills instantly, but they are full of shit. They have never actually experienced the third one."

Though they were shocked that we could kill so easily, I could see the obvious curiosity my last statement incited.

"The_ Cruciatus curse_ is commonly known as the torture curse in case you didn't get that from the extreme amount of pain it causes. To successfully cast it, the caster must harbor an intense hate for the victim…They must want to cause them the worst imaginable pain on Earth. They must want them to die a slow, agonizing death since the curse not only causes mental torture, but physical torture as well. Take the burn from your change, add mental torture to it then multiply the pain by at least a factor of ten."

"We know how bad it hurt...we all felt it when Jasper lost control of his gift," Esme whispered meekly.

I nodded and gave them all a sympathetic smile.

"And that is only what you felt second hand. For the victim however, its much worse. The mental torture starts immediately. Following that the physical pain comes in stages. White hot, stabbing pain that makes it impossible to control your body movement is immediate. Ten seconds into the torture the pain worsens and the victim becomes hyper-aware of their body and they are unable to with hold their screams of agony. At fifteen seconds you can literally feel the cells in your extremities begin to destroy themselves. At thirty seconds it has moved up to your knees and elbows leaving a wake of destroyed tissue in its path. From there, It gets progressively worse as more and more cells are destroyed. Blood begins pouring from the eyes, mouth, and nose at the three minute mark. Around the five minute mark of continuous, non-stop torture, the victim's brain essentially becomes mush…they enter a permanent vegetative state never to wake again if they do not die from the copious amounts of blood pouring from every orifice of their body."

"Oh my goodness," Esme breathed, collapsing against Carlisle's chest with a choked sob.

Shock, fury, and horror were pouring from Jasper into me as what I had experienced in that clearing sank in. A low growl had begun falling from his lips. I immediately began radiating calm and love in response to keep him from doing something drastic. It did little to calm his violent trembling, but it did help quiet his snarls.

"And based on your familiarity and ability to handle such... painful side-effects, I'm assuming that tonight was not the first night you were subjected to the _cruciatus_," Carlisle deduced in a matter of fact tone.

"No, it wasn't the first time," I confirmed.

Jasper stiffened. "How many times?" he growled.

I sighed, "I can't tell you exactly. I've been tortured with it by four separate people not counting tonight. Each person hit me with it in thirty second to three minute intervals until I passed out from blood loss."

Jasper let out a low, feral growl and held me tighter. He leaned down and nuzzled the top of my head with his nose, breathing deeply. I let him. He needed it after finding such a thing out.

"If you are interested, Carlisle, I will inform Poppy that she is to allow you to examine my medical records when she visits tomorrow evening. She can give you far more in depth explanations as to the effects the curse wreaks on the body than I," I offered once I could speak without Jasper's growls drowning out the sound of my voice.

He nodded eagerly at the invitation and Jasper mumbled something along the lines of him wanting to have a look as well.

"Any other questions?" I invited once that was settled.

"Yeah... that guy who tortured you. Did you really kill his wife and brother?" Edward called out from his spot between Alice and Rosalie.

I met his golden eyes without feeling any sort of shame for my actions. I was incapable of feeling shame for ridding this world of such vile beings. After everything they have done to me and my friends, they deserved death. Only in my opinion they shouldn't had such painless deaths. They should have been killed in the same brutal manner as all of their victims.

"Yes."

"How...why...that's horrible," Alice mumbled

"What...did you do it on one of your little assassination trips?"

I rubbed my temples trying to relieve some of the pressure building up there from the duo from hell. I had invited their questions when I should have just kicked them out, but really? They asked that out of everything they could have questioned me about? I knew they were going to be judgmental idiots, but honestly..! A short, wry laugh fell from my lips. A vampire, of all things, was sat here telling me that killing someone was horrible? How fucking ironic is that?

I knew the self righteous prick and his mate had decided to take advantage of the opportunity I had given to try and make me ashamed of my magical life because, well, that's what he seems to enjoy doing in retaliation for my ability to block his gift. But he didn't realize that shame was an emotion I would never allow myself to feel. I feel guilt and I feel remorse that I had to take a life…but I refuse to feel ashamed of my actions towards them.

I really wish I wasn't having this confrontation right now when my body felt like it had been run over by a herd of hippogriffs.

"That's horrible?" I asked incredulously, my voice rising with my mounting anger at their judgments. "You're a fucking vampire for Christ's sake. But that's right. You feed on animals. So that gives you two the right to condemn me. It must be nice, feeling better than everyone else, judging others for things you know nothing about."

I paused my rant to ensure that I had their attention. Especially Edwards. I could feel the dark, menacing laugh that wanted to escape my lips. I tried to hold it in but I failed miserably. I was just too fucking angry and in too much fucking pain. Jasper had started attempting to calm me, but his manufactured emotions weren't even phasing me. I could feel myself flirting with that familiar line of insanity.

"In case you missed the fucking memo, it was a War, Edward. My skills as an assassin were necessary, just as they are in every war. And of course it's horrible. _War is horrible_. The things I've done may sound horrifying to you, Alice, but you do not understand the conditions we had to survive. It wasn't just a bunch of people competing to pull the largest rabbit out of a hat. Our battles weren't mere hours long like today's. They could last for weeks as we fought for control of magical landmarks. We had to fight in twelve hour shifts against Voldemort and his armies. It was brutal and terrifying. It was kill or be killed. When fighting them, _Mercy_" I spat the word like it was filthy. "was not an option. You cannot show mercy to an enemy who will show you none in return."

Despite Jasper and Carlisle's protests, I escaped their restraining arms then stood and marched over to my door, ignoring the pain each step caused. I pushed the old door open then paused. I glanced over my shoulder at the timeless faces in my room. I didn't want to say anything else right now. I just wanted to storm out of the room so that I could get away from the little douche and his mate. However, that little voice…that part of me that was tainted by Voldemort's soul fueled my anger at the two for daring to criticize my sacrifices. That blazing anger urged me to tell them the harsh reality of it.

"Voldemort's armies were cruel and vile. They did all sorts of horrible things to deserve the fate bestowed upon them. Casting the Unforgivables at every possible opportunity wasn't even the least of it. They've done far more than I care to think about. They would capture, rape, and torture innocent, defenseless humans as sport. If a family refused to join Voldemort, they would Imperious their children and make them slaughter the entire family while they slept. We quite often found bodies of Ministry officials eviscerated and hung from the roof of their homes by their intestines. And Merlin the way they enslaved the muggleborns who got captured once the Ministry fell. It was sick."

"Do you want to know about the day I decided to stop showing them any form of mercy and began to relish my position as an assassin, Edward? It was when they attacked a muggle orphanage in retaliation for a successful raid we performed on their camps in France. They ripped those helpless children to pieces. I was one of the first to respond when the alarm went off alerting us that the Dark Mark was cast into the sky. The place was a bloodbath. There were organs and detached limbs everywhere. The heads of the children were were skewered with stakes and placed outside the premises. I… you don't even know what seeing something like that does to you."

I stopped my rant to take a deep breath and clamp down on the pure fucking hatred I still hold for Bellatrix, her husband, and his brother.

"That bitch you are so willing to condemn me for killing doesn't deserve your pity and neither does her dear husband or his brother. Those sociopaths are Death Eater filth- scum of the Earth. They painted the walls of that orphanage with the blood of innocents and they fucking deserved deaths far more painful than the ones I gave them."

And with that I slammed my door behind me.

A feral snarl could be heard coming from my room as I shoved the door to Harry's quarters open with my magic and stormed inside to seek the comfort of my best friends arms.

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So... Review and let me know what you thought. I did hook you up with a wet and naked Jasper. ^_^


	29. Chapter 29

**CH.29  
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**_A/N: I'm so, so sorry about the lack of updates. However, if you've taken a look at my profile recently you would have read that I'm on an indefinite hiatus for family reasons. Please note that my stories aren't abandoned, updates just won't be coming as regularly as they used to.  
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**_I'll also be editing some mistakes I've noticed in previous chapters, so if the format seems to have changed... no worries.  
_**

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

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The moment my injured mate slammed the door in my face and proceeded to walk away from me, the fates of those whom dared antagonize her were sealed. I could no longer contain the wrath I had been dying to unleash on something since those sick fuckin' Death Eaters crashed our baseball game. I didn't have anymore control over the pure fuckin' fury that'd been bubbling beneath the surface since I learned of her torture.

The careless words members of my own damn 'family' had spoken… their accusations …they had harmed my angel when she had already been emotionally and physically injured … they had just kicked her right in the gut when she was already down like the spineless asshats they were.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, I plan on gettin' a pound of flesh from the sparkly asses of the guilty in retribution.

The door I had been glaring and snarling at since it got slammed in my face five minutes ago opened. Instead of my mate returning, it revealed the scarred form of one Harry Potter.

And he looked fuckin' livid.

His square jaw clenched and relaxed as he ground his teeth so hard a human would be able to hear'em gratin' together from across the room. A vein in his forehead, just to the left of that lightning bolt scar, could be seen pounding away due to his intense fury. His thin lips were set into a grim line. An aura of darkness seemed to be visibly swirling around his very being. It added a shadow of suffering and a promise of pain as it visibly whipped through his unruly raven hair.

In all actuality, if I were a lesser man (and a lesser vampire), the expression he happened to be sporting and the magic crackling around him would've sent me running to the hills screamin' for my mamma. How in the hell could a five foot nothing, thin, but slightly muscular human look so fuckin' intimidating in nothing other than a pair of orange pajama pants with queer lookin' little golden things flittin' across the fabric?

I have no idea how he pulled it off, but he somehow managed to look more fucking menacing than any enraged vampire I've ever come across.

His narrowed eyes were once more doing the Christmas special by flashing steadily between emerald and crimson as he casually leaned against the door-jamb and casually waved his hand towards those behind me. The nonchalant motion- in direct contrast with the tensed and taught muscles of his entire body- practically screamed, "It's your family, you handle it, but if you don't then I'm going to step in and you won't like my solution one bit."

I dipped my chin at him in recognition of his unspoken cue, but basically paid him no further mind since we'd come to an accord. An entirely demonic growl twisted its way from deep within the recesses of my chest and out of the sneer plastered across my face as I slowly turned to face the two-faced bitch, Alice, and her pussy-whipped bag-boy, Edward.

I didn't bother attempting to reign in the pure fuckin' fury now rolling off my body in gigantic tidal waves. It crashed into those standing before me- alerting them of my displeasure in case my blown pupils weren't hint enough. It was as if I were a hurricane of unsavory emotion and they were the helpless idiots whom had decided to brave the fuckin' storm instead of abandoning the cause and running for higher, and safer, ground when they had a chance.

The God of War had fully merged with my normal consciousness. For the first time ever, my beast and I were one. We had finally found a way to co-exist without issue because we both agreed on one thing. We would be giving no quarter to those responsible for the distressed exit of our injured Goddess.

"_Ashes! Ashes!_

_We all fall down"_

I sing songed in a falsetto children's voice as, one by one, the six of them fell to their knees before me with their palms up, eyes on the floor, chins tilted, and necks exposed. My family had instinctually fallen into the same submissive pose as thousands before them had when that lovely cocktail of dread, terror, malice, intimidation, subservience, loyalty, and reverence leached its way into their bodies to alter the very essence of their being.

They were now completely under my control. They would do whatever I asked of them without hesitation because in mind, body, and soul they had become mine.

_Mine to command. _

_Mine to reward. _

_Mine to punish._

Although I felled all six, I really only had eyes for two of them. The mated pair from hell that I once respected for rescuing me from my self destructive ways. The ones that I'd once held in high regard for introducing me to this way life when I had been so lost and hopeless. Those who had given me hope of finding someone who'd be capable of loving me, bloody past in all. Those who were responsible for me not turnin' tail and runnin' the first time I learned she was human...

However, that respect had left the building and in its place stood nothing but pure loathing after their petty actions towards said mate.

Slowly, I stalked towards them. An extremely familiar sick and morbid sense of satisfaction coiled in my stomach as Edward and Alice glanced at my face then instinctively flinched away from the rage etched onto my every feature.

"Edward… Alice… You've made me very, very upset," I purred lowly once I came to a stop in front of them.

They flinched back further and did their best to avoid my penetrating gaze by focusing their attention on the floor.

"Uh, Uh, Uh…" I tutted condescendingly as I reached out with both hands and harshly yanked their chins up so that their fearful eyes met my own. "That's not how this works. You two have been bouncing between liking and detesting my mate for far too long. Tonight you've taken it too far by purposefully upsetting my injured mate because you are both petty and insecure about her remarkable ability to evade your powers. You don't get to shy away from the consequences like cowards."

As I spoke, their level of fear rose to new proportions and I basked in that heady sensation. I dropped their chins and took a half step back. They immediately resumed their submissive pose like good little children.

My dilated eyes roved the forms of the others for any sign of defiance or emotions that would hint at mutiny. Finding nothing noteworthy in their emotions except for fear and a bit of smug satisfaction rolling off of Rosalie, I smirked.

"Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett- Move," I commanded as I released their emotions from the majority of my power.

Ever so slowly the four of them rose from the floor, with their necks bared submissively due to the small amounts of loyalty and subservience I left lingering in their emotions.

Once they had retreated so that their backs were against the farthest wall, I gave the other two my full attention.

"Did you really think that you could verbally attack my injured mate without any consequences?"

Winces that were so faint anyone else would have missed them flitted across their features at my snarled question. But they refused to answer.

I upped the strength of the emotions I'd been pouring into them.

"Well?" I growled as I snaked my hands around their necks and began to squeeze.

Alice mumbled a response, but the only part loud enough or clear enough to understand was the word "no."

I tightened my grip on their necks. Small amounts of venom began running from the miniscule cracks forming around the tips of my fingers.

"What did you say?"

"She said," Edward snarled with a hint of his usual haughty tone leaking into his voice. I immediately cut off his disrespectful response and nipped his new-found defiance in the bud with a harsh twist to his neck that created larger, more painful cracks that ran all the way up to his jaw line.

"She said no, but she foresaw us evading your anger with our gifts."

"Did she now?" I murmured to myself as I nodded in satisfaction at his meek and submissive answer. "Well, it seems even vampires are capable of evading your all knowing asses under the right circumstances. It looks as if you two have finally learned just how infallible your pitiful gifts are."

I chuckled demonically at the twin glares the two attempted to hide from me.

"Now lets talk about punishment," I purred as I began stalking around them.

Their fear skyrocketed as I stopped behind them then dug my blunt nails as deep into their stone-like skin as possible before slowly raking them up their necks, over their jaws and cheeks until I reached their hairline. An involuntary growl of satisfaction left my chest as the distinctive tang that appears when copious amounts of fresh venom's been spilt permeated the air.

When I glanced around to make sure the others were still against the wall, I noticed my mates brother had moved into the room so that he could lean against the wall to my right. He was watching the proceedings with a morbid fascination. He shot me a small nod of approval when our eyes caught.

I smirked back at him.

Softly, almost lovingly, I tangled my fingers in Alice and Edwards perfectly coifed hair-dos then sharply yanked their heads back. The creaking sound of the bones in their neck fracturing filled the air as they were forced to look up at me. Their pain filled orbs met my own onyx ones. I gave them the most malicious grin in my arsenal. Then, without breaking eye contact, I leaned down until my mouth was between their ears.

" Hmm… You two are lucky that I know my mate well enough to know that she'd be upset with me if I just killed you. She's a firm believer that the punishment should fit the crime."

At that statement the two idiots began to radiate large amounts of relief. They were apparently under the misconception that she didn't have a cruel streak to match my own. But I knew better. I learned from both the stories she's told me and various journal entries that she could be downright vicious when crossed.

I chuckled darkly.

For a few more moments, I let them get their hopes up before dashing them in as cruel a voice as I could muster. "In light of her reaction, I've decided that since you two are incapable of holding your tongues that I'll be holding them for the rest of the foreseeable future."

The two immediately panicked. The blood would have drained from their faces if they'd had any. Their jaws went slack. They even began struggling in a futile attempt to escape my grip. I harshly wrenched them back down onto their knees. Then I began feeding lethargy and more submission into their emotional cocktail. Once they started lightly swaying and their emotions evened out, I drew my control back enough so that they would be aware of the pain I was about to inflict.

In a fit of spite, I decided that Alice would be first. That way Edward would have to watch, helpless, as I injured his mate. He would be powerless to stop me. And I would revel in his emotional agony before causing him as much physical pain as possible.

I removed my hand from Edwards hair and lowered it to his mates jaw. Ever so slowly I applied more and more pressure until I managed to force it open. With my other hand I stuck my thumb and pointer finger into her mouth then quickly ripped her tongue off.

Her strangled screams of agony as she writhed on the ground were music to my ears.

Although, I'd now found myself in quite the predicament. I hadn't quite thought things through as I had no idea where to put the wiggling segment of muscle in my hand. And it definitely was not getting let loose. We'd be lucky to ever find the darn thing if it happened to wander off searching for the body it belonged to. Luckily, before I could start panicking, a jar filled with the most vile brownish-green liquid I'd ever seen started hovering in front of me.

With a raised brow, I looked at the only person capable of levitation within the room.

"Rumor has it a vampire is still capable of sensing what happens with their missing limbs. Figured that would be true for the taste buds on a tongue as well…" My mates brother answered my unspoken question with a cruel smirk twisting his lips.

"And this…?" I asked with a semi-disgusted wave towards the goopy, sewage smelling liquid in the jar.

"Armadillo bile."

My lips twisted to match his. And when a shriek of horror came from Alice, I laughed.

"Aw, don't be that way Ally. It won't be so bad. After a few weeks you'll probably grow accustomed to the taste," I teased mercilessly as I dropped the frantically wriggling muscle into the jar.

After savoring her emotions for a few moments, I turned my attention back to Edward whom was staring at his wife's predicament with a pained expression that I relished.

"Don't worry Eddy, soon you'll be a matching pair," I taunted as I reached out to yank his jaw down with so much force that the bones broke with an audible crack and it nearly unhinged itself.

"Oops," I mumbled sarcastically.

Just like I had with his mate, I reached into his mouth with my thumb and pointer finger. However, I didn't detach his tongue as quickly as I had Alice's. I wanted to make it painful. I'd detach part of it and then let it begin healing together before detaching a bigger piece only to repeat the process over again. After nearly ten minutes of torturing him while delighting in both his agonized screams and emotions, I finally ripped it out.

This time, the jar waiting on me was filled with a bright yellow liquid that looked like urine of some sort. I dropped the tongue in and then watched as the jar vanished from the room- presumably to the same spot he had vanished Alice's.

"Do I even want to know what that was?" I asked Harry once I was standing beside him and smugly admiring our handiwork.

"Eau de skunk."

I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

"Armadillo Bile and Skunk…You are a cruel, cruel man," I muttered out of the corner of my mouth causing Harry to snort.

With my beast somewhat sated with revenge, I began relinquishing my control over the emotions in the room. Once everyone was pretty much back to their emotional norm, I turned and motioned for Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie to come closer. "Leave," I commanded, " and please, take the two whimpering idiots at my feet with you when you go or I might be tempted to keep toying with them."

Nodding their ascent with no little amount of fear in their eyes Carlisle and Emmett carried Alice and Edward from the room. Their mates followed behind them without a backwards glance.

Silence settled between my mates brother and I as we re-evaluated one another.

"You're one scary fucker," he finally grunted bluntly.

"Only when protecting what's mine" I replied with a wry twist to my lips.

"Hhnn."

His lack of response to my statement set me on edge a bit because I couldn't tell whether being a scary fucker was a good or a bad thing in his opinion, but I didn't let it show.

Instead I asked something I'd been dying to know.

"How's Hermione?"

"Sleeping."

"Can I see her?" I questioned with a note of desperation in my voice.

Those sharp emerald eyes looked me up and down. After he spent several minutes staring at me as if he were examining my very soul and judging my worthiness, he nodded.

"I'll bring her back to her own bed," he promised before leaving the room.

I promptly began pacing to and fro while waiting on him to return with my mate. I yearned for her so badly. I yearned to see my angel and ensure that she hadn't injured herself further during her hurried exit. I yearned to smell her slightly spicy honey and orange blossom scent. I yearned to kiss her. And most of all, I yearned to hold her soft, warm body in my arms where I could protect it from harm.

I was at her side the moment Harry walked into the room with her levitating in front of him. Those novel orbs were blinking as if she were somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Her brother gently lowered her onto the bed and I crawled on beside her. I immediately began running my hands over her scantily clad body to check for injuries.

I barely even noticed her brothers departure from the room.

"Jasper," she mumbled rolling from her back onto her side.

"Shh…" I hushed Hermione's attempts to speak with a finger to her lips "Get some rest, Sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up. Promise."

When she didn't try to speak again, I moved so that I was behind her and then ever-so carefully pulled her into my arms. I wrapped my body around hers so that my chest was pressed against her back while my arms were wrapped around her waist. In this position we had enough skin to skin contact for me to work my mojo; Therefore, I started removing her residual pain and replacing it with love, contentment, and lethargy so that she'd get a good nights rest.

Once she began breathing deeply, I softly whispered words of love and devotion into her ear. I spent the rest of the night wrapped around her- savoring being able to hold her in my arms for such a long period of time.

* * *

**_The next chapter is over half-way finished. I'll update ASAP!_**


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